Union County School District Exceeds Goal on State Testing: High School and Morganfield Elementary Lead the Way with Proficient Ratings

It is a banner year for Union County Schools! Not only did the district exceed the state goal on its overall score and meet the annual measurable objective (AMO), Morganfield Elementary and Union County High School reached a Proficient/Progressing classification. This is the first time any of the Union County schools have obtained a Proficient rating in the Unbridled Learning Accountability System.

The district made a 1.6 point gain in overall score and moved up in percentile rankings from 51 to 62%. Superintendent Patricia Sheffer is encouraged by the district’s improvement: “The district data from the last two years tells us we are headed in the right direction,” said Sheffer. “With the Leader in Me program being fully implemented in our schools this year, I foresee greater gains in all of our schools in the future. We know that the students are feeling a great sense of pride in setting their own goals and working hard to achieve them.”

Union County High School, our flagship school, turned in its strongest performance yet on state testing. UCHS posted a 4.9-point gain in overall score, moving up in percentile rank from 41 to 71%, met AMO, and achieved the status of a Proficient/Progressing school! UCHS showed improvement in all five of the five measured areas with significant gains in Achievement, Growth, and College/Career Readiness. Gains were also made in Gap performance and Graduation Rate. The graduation rate increased from 91.4 to 93.8%. Because of improvements made in Gap Area, the high school is no longer designated as a Focus School.
UCHS Principal Evan Jackson says that UCHS is celebrating the KPREP results in a big way. "This is awesome!” said Jackson. “Reaching proficiency is a huge step for our school and something our whole community can celebrate! The dedication of our students, staff, and supporters is paying off, and we want to build on that success.” Sheffer added, “This is a testimony to what can happen when you have the community on board with your schools. In striving to become a WorkReady county, our community purchased additional WorkKeys tests and covered the cost of NCRC certificates for UCHS students. This is directly reflected in our College/Career Readiness scores. It’s even more evidence that we can do more together than we could ever do alone. In addition to teaching and learning, we are also growing our community.”

Jackson is ready to raise the bar even higher for next year. “This year, we're continuing the bold goal-setting, focused efforts, and unwavering faith that brought us to this point, but we're also adding better interventions that meet individual student needs,” said Jackson. “We believe the best is yet to come!"

Union County Middle School, Uniontown Elementary, and Sturgis Elementary had a mixed bag of results. There are successes as well as areas that need improvement. Each of these schools stayed steady or were no more than four-tenths of a point under last year’s scores. Union County Middle School had nice gains in two out of four measured areas: Achievement and Gap. Uniontown Elementary had gains in two out of three measured areas: Achievement and Gap. Sturgis Elementary received Bonus points in Science and Social Studies. Sturgis, as well as all of the other schools, will be celebrating individual student strengths, revisiting opportunities for improvement, and implementing a detailed plan of action for next steps.

Uniontown Elementary Principal Tamala Howard acknowledges that while they have experienced some improvement, they are already moving forward. “I am pleased with the fact that overall student achievement increased at Uniontown Elementary as well as showing gains with our non-duplicated gap group which was a major focus last year,” said Howard. “This year our goal will be to address student growth to ensure all students are learning at high levels among their own academic peer group.”

“We believe that education is much more than just test scores,” said Sheffer. “We know that it is important to have incredible student-teacher relationships, high expectations, relevant instruction, and a safe learning environment. These scores are one indicator of student performance levels and progress in our schools. We are looking closely at the data and moving quickly to correct any areas that may have gone even slightly off course.”

“We have some really awesome staff members who make our schools vibrant, full of life and radiate positive energy,” said Sheffer. “I deeply appreciate those who show up every day with a positive attitude and generate joy for others- this helps instill a love of learning for our students.”
Superintendent Sheffer sums up the plan for all schools next year, “Standards set are standards met. We have high expectations for all stakeholders and have established a system of continuous improvement in all areas with goal setting in every department. Both our staff and students begin with the end in mind and regularly monitor personal progress toward achieving their goals while looking for ways to improve. We are going to synergize to get the most out of our resources. We will look at our best practices and share them with every school, every team, and every student.”

Sheffer credits the community and the Board for setting high expectations and supporting the continuous improvement mindset. Board Chair Jennifer Buckman feels that the school district is certainly moving in the right direction. “We are pleased to see such great improvement in our district and schools,” said Buckman. “Not only has there been a significant increase in student achievement, but we have seen a huge shift in the culture of our schools. Along with high expectations, there is a sense of pride and personal integrity as staff and students take ownership of their education. Our vision is becoming reality as we see a true passion for excellence in our schools.”

Although the organization as a whole is very goal-oriented, Sheffer places the majority of emphasis on the human factor. “We simply do what’s best for our students and realize that culture trumps strategy,” said Sheffer. “Every day, we will continue to make good things happen for other people. We look forward to celebrating our growth and keeping our district SMOVING (Smiling + Moving)! I applaud our faculty, staff, and students for a job well done!”