Dear Parents and Community Members of Russell Independent Schools,
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released the most recent round of KPREP testing and school report card results yesterday. As in years past, we were assessed on a variety of indicators. The 3rd thru 8th grades are assessed on gap, growth, and achievement and 9th thru 12th grades are assessed on gap, growth, achievement, college and career readiness, and graduation rate. Although many of these indicators are as strong or stronger than they have been before, there are definitely specific areas where we can improve. This year’s scoring system included a new formula for a subset of our student population. The purpose of this calculation is to do exactly what it did – draw attention to groups of students who were not seeing gains as quickly as they should. While we always strive to reach all students, this particular change in calculation significantly impacted our overall assessment score. Regardless of the reasoning of the shift in scores and rankings, we are taking our KPREP scores very seriously. As soon as we became aware of our scores, our district administrators began strategically planning to address any deficits. Yesterday, I met with our Board of Education to discuss our results, any gaps in services, and to update them on our strategic planning process. Our four school principals and our RATC principal will present their specific plans at an upcoming board meeting. Although today’s announcement caused all of us a great deal of concern, we have many KPREP related achievements to continue to celebrate. Our overall composite ACT score of 21.0 is the highest in our region and ranks us 31st in the state. Our graduation rate is 97.3% which, like the ACT score, is one of the highest in our region. Even with a slight scoring decrease, our high school is still rated “Distinguished” and our district is rated as a “Proficient” district, according to the Kentucky Department of Education Benchmarks. In closing, I want to reassure the community of our dedication to excellence. We welcome accountability and we will continually strive to improve in every facet of our district. Many generations of administrators, educators, students, and community members have laid the foundation for our success. Our reputation for academic excellence is well earned and we will continue to be a leader in our region. Our students will remain our #1 priority. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. M. Sean Horne Superintendent
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