December 14, 2016 at 6:28 p.m.
Five elementary schools earn A
Pennville and Redkey each see their grades improve
Five elementary schools earn A
Some of Jay County’s school accountability grades took a dip, but the results came in about as administrators expected following the release of ISTEP scores last month.
Five Jay School Corporation elementary schools — Bloomfield, Redkey, Pennville, Judge Haynes and East — earned an A in the grades released Tuesday by Indiana Department of Education.
“I think our kids gave us a very solid performance on a very difficult ISTEP test this year, and school grades are really driven by standardized testing,” said Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley. “Given the very tough test, school grades have dropped across the state. This was expected.
“If anything, I was encouraged with the number of schools here that kept their A rating and the improvement we saw in Redkey and Pennville.”
Gulley had warned at the November school board meeting that grades were expected to drop because of the inclusion of ISTEP scores this year. Jay County’s test scores dropped across the board this year, though its elementary students still outperformed the state average. The school corporation’s 10th grade test scores were below the Indiana average.
The state had exempted the test scores from the 2015 accountability grades because it was the first year of a new test. But the ISTEP results were part of this year’s grades despite test scores dropping statewide.
The result across Indiana was far fewer schools receiving A grades — 23.6 percent in 2016 compared to 55.4 percent in 2015 — while the number of failing schools more than doubled to 6.1 percent.
Pennville and Redkey elementary schools bucked the statewide trend, improving their accountability grades over the previous year. Pennville had earned a D in 2015 while Redkey had a B.
Five Jay School Corporation elementary schools — Bloomfield, Redkey, Pennville, Judge Haynes and East — earned an A in the grades released Tuesday by Indiana Department of Education.
“I think our kids gave us a very solid performance on a very difficult ISTEP test this year, and school grades are really driven by standardized testing,” said Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley. “Given the very tough test, school grades have dropped across the state. This was expected.
“If anything, I was encouraged with the number of schools here that kept their A rating and the improvement we saw in Redkey and Pennville.”
Gulley had warned at the November school board meeting that grades were expected to drop because of the inclusion of ISTEP scores this year. Jay County’s test scores dropped across the board this year, though its elementary students still outperformed the state average. The school corporation’s 10th grade test scores were below the Indiana average.
The state had exempted the test scores from the 2015 accountability grades because it was the first year of a new test. But the ISTEP results were part of this year’s grades despite test scores dropping statewide.
The result across Indiana was far fewer schools receiving A grades — 23.6 percent in 2016 compared to 55.4 percent in 2015 — while the number of failing schools more than doubled to 6.1 percent.
Pennville and Redkey elementary schools bucked the statewide trend, improving their accountability grades over the previous year. Pennville had earned a D in 2015 while Redkey had a B.
Continued from page 1
“What a great thing to see those two schools that have worked very hard to improve, particularly the teachers and kids at Pennville to be able to go from a D to an A,” said Gulley. “It’s good news, and they should be celebrated for it.
Bloomfield, Judge Haynes and East were all A schools last year. Bloomfield has earned an A every year since the rating system began in 2005, and the Judge Haynes streak dates back to 2008.
Jay County High School, East Jay Middle School and General Shanks and Westlawn elementary schools were all part of the state trend that saw a chunk of A-rated schools earn grades of B in 2016. West Jay Middle School dropped from an A to a C.
General Shanks had been an A-rated school every from 2007 through 2015.
South Adams Elementary School was able to hold strong this year, earning an A grade for the fourth straight year. The high school and middle school, which had both earned A grades last year, dropped to a B and a C respectively. South Adams Middle School had earned an A every year since 2007.
Jay County Christian Academy received a C for the third consecutive year.
“What a great thing to see those two schools that have worked very hard to improve, particularly the teachers and kids at Pennville to be able to go from a D to an A,” said Gulley. “It’s good news, and they should be celebrated for it.
Bloomfield, Judge Haynes and East were all A schools last year. Bloomfield has earned an A every year since the rating system began in 2005, and the Judge Haynes streak dates back to 2008.
Jay County High School, East Jay Middle School and General Shanks and Westlawn elementary schools were all part of the state trend that saw a chunk of A-rated schools earn grades of B in 2016. West Jay Middle School dropped from an A to a C.
General Shanks had been an A-rated school every from 2007 through 2015.
South Adams Elementary School was able to hold strong this year, earning an A grade for the fourth straight year. The high school and middle school, which had both earned A grades last year, dropped to a B and a C respectively. South Adams Middle School had earned an A every year since 2007.
Jay County Christian Academy received a C for the third consecutive year.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD