The latest standardized test results for Jefferson County Public Schools showed some schools making significant improvements, an increased graduation rate and more post-secondary readiness among seniors — though a significant achievement gap between white and Black students remains.
The data, which was released publicly by the Kentucky Department of Education on Thursday, is based on assessments taken in May.
At a press conference Wednesday, JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio highlighted the district’s graduation rate of 88%, along with the fact that white and Black students are graduating at nearly the same rate for the first time as wins.
“More of our students are receiving a diploma and are fully prepared for college, technical school or a career,” Pollio said. “That’s good news, not only for our students and their families but our community as well.”
But, as a system, student proficiency rates lagged behind the state’s average rates; reading proficiency decreased slightly compared to the year prior; and the number of proficient Black and Hispanic students was significantly lower than white students.
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Across Kentucky, 42% of elementary students were proficient in math, compared to 31% within JCPS. That rate fell to 15% for Black Students and 24% for Hispanic students, compared to 45% for white students.
In terms of reading, 47% of Kentucky elementary students were proficient, while 37% were in JCPS. Just more than half of white JCPS students were reading proficient, while 22% of Black students and 28% of Hispanic students were.
Science proficiency was the lowest of the three core areas. Just 34% of Kentucky elementary students ranked as science proficient, with that rate falling to 24% for JCPS. The rate jumped to 37% for white students in the district but dipped to 10% for Black students and 16% for Hispanic students.
One challenge to proficiency, Pollio noted, was transportation issues that caused JCPS students to collectively miss millions of minutes of classroom instruction. JCPS has previously acknowledged students of color were disproportionately affected by late buses.
“It’s clear that students missing millions of minutes of instructional time due to late buses had an impact on learning last year,” Pollio said, adding he was surprised the impact was not greater.
Test scores were also impacted, he noted, by the high rate of JCPS students who are learning English. About one-in-five students in JCPS are not native English speakers.
Other barriers to success were the ongoing struggle to fill teacher vacancies and a far higher rate of students being chronically absent post-pandemic, Pollio said.
Despite the challenges, fewer JCPS schools are now ranked in the bottom 5% statewide, known as having Comprehensive School Improvement status.
The latest assessment scores helped six schools exit that status, leaving the district with 18 schools in the bottom 5%.
In 2019, 36 JCPS schools were ranked among the lowest performing schools in the state.
Which JCPS schools ranked in the state’s bottom 5%?
Schools that are federally classified as CSI status receive extra money and support from the state to improve academic outcomes. Many of the JCPS schools on the list also receive additional funding for being in the district’s “Choice Zone,” a designation for 13 schools in or near west Louisville that serve high rates of economically disadvantage students.
All but one of the Kentucky schools that fell into this category under the new assessment were in Jefferson County.
The JCPS schools are:
- Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary
- Conway Middle
- Engelhard Elementary
- Iroquois High
- Jacob Elementary
- Kennedy Elementary
- Kerrick Elementary
- King Elementary
- Maupin Elementary
- Mcferran Preparatory Academy
- Mill Creek Elementary
- Perry Elementary
- Olmsted Academy North
- Olmsted Academy South
- Seneca High
- Stuart Academy
- The Academy @ Shawnee
- Thomas Jefferson Middle
Results for each school can be found on the state education department’s report card portal.
Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
