#BelieveInBlue is turning out to be more than just a hashtag for Crittenden County Schools. After the state publicly released testing data for the 2022-23 school year yesterday, Crittenden County Middle School earned the state’s highest distinction, capturing the coveted blue performance rating. The school joins only 32 other middle schools out of 318 in the Commonwealth to boast the honor. Principal Kara Turley said the designation was not only a reflection of staff motivating students to want to learn, but also the result of an effective re-teaching and remediation system and a testament to the school’s positive culture where students feel valued by adults in the building. “We are thrilled,” said Turley, “and while test scores are never our main objective, it feels good to have our scores reflect the effort of students and adults in the building to learn and grow together.”
Since the 2021-2022 school year, the state has used a color-coded overall performance rating for each school, district, and the state by level, ranging from red (lowest) to orange, yellow, green, and blue (highest). The overall performance rating color is based on a score that is determined by combining data from all available indicators, including state assessment results in reading, math, social studies, science, and on demand writing; English language learner progress; quality of school climate and safety; and post-secondary readiness and graduation rate data at the high school level.
Crittenden County Elementary School secured an outstanding performance rating for the second consecutive year with its green distinction. Out of 719 elementary schools in the state, CCES is one of only 187 to earn the prestigious classification. Increasing their scores in four out of five academic indicators from the previous year (reading, math, science, and social studies), the elementary school saw growth among the third through fifth graders tested. Principal Sarah Riley credits the school’s success to the staff’s determination and perseverance, along with students’ work ethic and desire to learn and grow. "I am a very proud principal of the hardest-working staff and students,” said Rile. “Crittenden County Elementary School is filled with solid instructional practices, as shown in our data. We are truly growing our students."
While Crittenden County High School repeated its orange ranking from the prior year, the school did see growth in its graduation rate and post-secondary readiness. Graduation rates improved from 85.4 percent in 2021-2022 to 95.7 percent in 2022-2023. Post-secondary readiness saw a near-four percent increase. Interim principal Rhonda Callaway said growth in these indicators is encouraging and hopes to build on that success in the coming year. “We are on track to exceed post-secondary readiness for the 2023-24 school year,” said Callaway, “and we are encouraged by that. We know, too, however, that there is much work that lies ahead, and we are eager to work together, collectively, to realize gains in all indicators.
The public can view a detailed report of state assessment data for all three schools by visiting the Kentucky School Report Card on the Kentucky Department of Education’s website at education.ky.gov.