County school results were mixed on the 2018-19 report cards released last month by the State Department of Education, with some districts remaining the same or improving when compared to last year and others losing ground. Equally mixed were superintendents’ reactions to the grades, with administrators from both high- and low-scoring schools saying that the grades should not be viewed as the only measure of a district’s performance while others viewed their grades as reinforcement of other signs of school improvement. The A-F grading system was adopted under the tenure of former state superintendent Janet Baressi, then suspended after a tide of criticism and revamped and reinstated last year under current state superintendent Joy Hofmeister. The system, which assigns an A-F grade for every school in the state as well as for the state education system as a whole, is based on a number of factors. Except when school sampling sizes are too small, all schools are graded on academic achievement, progress among English language learners and chronic absenteeism. Elementary and middle schools also are graded on academic growth, which measures how much progress students make in math and English scores from one grade to the next, and secondary schools also are graded on graduation rates and post-secondary opportunities. The state’s report card grading overall state averages showed a D grade for academic achievement, graduation and progress among English language learners. The state scored a C in academic growth, chronic absenteeism and post-secondary opportunities. The academic achievement category, weighted to carry the most impact on the overall score, dropped signifi cantly for the state as a whole, from 52% achievement in the 2017-18 school year to 39% in 2018-19. This indicator is based on state test scores in English, language arts, math and science, and demonstrates how many students are prepared to move on to the next grade level. Although the state made a C overall in academic growth, the same grade as the last assessment, the actual amount of students demonstrating growth in math and English proficiency from one grade to the next increased 50-59%. Just 54 of 1,494 school sites in Oklahoma received an overall grade of A, compared to 111 that received an F. Another 292 received a B, 579 received a C, and 458 received a D. Of 1,494 school sites, 234 received a higher grade than last year, but 493 school sites received a lower grade than on last year’s report card. The rest received the same grade. County school grades follow:

LOMEGA

High School – A

•Academic achievement – A

•Graduation – A

• Chronic absenteeism – A

•Post secondary opportunities – B

Elementary School – B

•Academic achievement – B

•Academic growth – B

•English language profi ciency – A

•Chronic absenteeism – B Supt. Steve Schiever’s comments: “We’re very happy with our grades and believe they reflect our great staff and great students. “Due to the small size of our enrollment, our grades can fluctuate quite a bit. The overall averages can be skewed by just one student doing exceptionally well or one student doing very poorly. “Overall, I’d say we’re moving in the right direction and I’m very confident in our staff and students.”

OKARCHE

High School – C

•Academic achievement – C

•Graduation – A

• Chronic absenteeism – A

•Post secondary opportunities – C

Junior High – C

•Academic achievement – C

•Academic growth –D

•Chronic absenteeism – A

Elementary – B

•Academic achievement – B

•Academic growth –C

•Chronic absenteeism – A Supt. Rob Friesen: “My initial reaction is that grade cards don’t tell the whole story of what’s going on but that’s what people look at. “We were a little disappointed in what they said this time around. I don’t know that it’s really indicative of what we have as a school system. “Our main goal is to take care of kids and try to teach kids, whether the grade cards say we are or not, that’s what we’re going to try to do. “The kicker is we’ve got the same teachers that we had when we had all As on report cards. “What we see on a day-today basis is quality teachers doing a quality job. The reality is those grade cards can’t tell you what those teachers do day-to- day and the great job they do.” Friesen said the district has taken steps to address its low score in post secondary opportunities, which he said is impacted in large part by the district’s lack of a career tech affi liation. The school has initiated a career pathways class that sends seniors on work release the last hour of the school to work in an actual job related to their chosen career path. “We’ve got some things going on where we are looking to help students to achieve a little bit better but we’re not going to give up on the bottom line which is educating kids. “To me that’s a bad way to do business. We’re going to take care of the important stuff which is teaching kids. We’re going to rely on what we see here and use that as our gauge a lot more than grade card. “I said the same thing when we had As on our (state) report card. That’s not how we judge whether we’re doing a good job.”

KINGFISHER

High School – C

•Academic achievement – D

•Graduation – B

•English language profi ciency – C

• Chronic absenteeism – A

•Post secondary opportunities – B

Middle School – B

•Academic achievement – B

•Academic growth –B

•Chronic absenteeism – B

•English language profi ciency –A

Heritage – B

•Academic achievement – C

•Academic growth –B

•English language profi ciency – B

•Chronic absenteeism – B

Gilmour

(no standardized testing)

•English language profi ciency– C

•Chronic absenteeism –C Supt. Jason Sternberger: “We have some things we need to address, but these scores are also kind of misleading. “Comparing one school to another is not comparing apples to apples because different enrollment sizes mean some schools aren’t scored in all components. Sternberger said the assessment test to determine high school academic achievement, where the district scored the lowest, is now the ACT for all subject areas. “We’re going to be focusing on ACT preparation to try to bring those scores up.” He noted that college bound students who took the ACT prior to the mandatory test date and made the scores they needed to get into college may not have been as motivated to try as hard on the test that was counted for the district’s grade card. By the same token, he said students not intending to attend college may also have been unmotivated to try as hard. “For many people, it was their first timed test or they were unfamiliar with the ACT format, so we’re focusing on teaching testing skills that will help us do better this year,” he said. Anyone with questions about the report cards are welcome to call his offi ce, he said.

DOVER

High School – No Grade

•Graduation – D

• Chronic absenteeism – C

•Post secondary opportunities – A

Elementary – C

•Academic achievement – C

•Academic growth –C

•Chronic absenteeism – C

•English Language profi ciency – C Supt. Max Thomas: “I’m proud of our students and staff in the elementary school for the progress we’ve made from an ‘F’ school a few years ago to a ‘C’ grade and very nearly a ‘B.’ “Our goal is to bring our grade up to an A in the elementary school in the next two years and I think it’s doable. “Our academic growth rate was 54 percent, which shows we’re continuing to improve. “In the high school, our post secondary opportunities rate was 87 percent, which was the highest in the county. “We’re going to continue to focus on academics and fine arts and I expect continued improvements.”

CASHION

High School – C

•Academic achievement – C

•Graduation – B

• Chronic absenteeism – B

•Post secondary opportunities – C

Middle School – C

•Academic achievement – D

•Academic growth – C

•Chronic absenteeism – B

Elementary – C

•Academic achievement – C

•Academic growth –C

•Chronic absenteeism – B Supt. Sammy Jackson’s comments: “We feel the report card gives us a snapshot of the progress our students are making. “After last years report card our district implemented Imagine Learning district wide to help with our reading and math skills. “We are anxious to see this years results and if this program had any impact on our students’ progress.”

HENNESSEY

High school – C Upper Elementary – C Lower Elementary – C