Dear Bearcat Family,
First and foremost, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your continued partnership with Anderson County Schools. Our students recently completed the Kentucky State Assessment (KSA), which measures proficiency and progress in core academic areas. The KSA is administered to students in 3rd through 8th grade, as well as 10th and 11th grade, and evaluates their growth across six key indicators: Reading and Math, Science, Social Studies, and Writing, School Climate and Safety, English Learner Progress, Post-Secondary Readiness, and Graduation Rate. These assessments are a crucial part of how we monitor student learning and guide our instructional strategies to ensure all students are achieving at their highest potential.
We are extremely proud to share that Anderson County Schools scored in the top 19% of all Kentucky school districts. This continues our strong tradition of academic excellence. Each school in our district has shown commendable progress in many or some areas: Robert B. Turner Elementary achieved green status, just 0.3 shy of blue, Emma B. Ward Elementary achieved green, while Saffell Street Elementary earned an orange rating, just shy (0.6) of yellow. Anderson County Middle School earned a green rating, improving 21 points in their overall score, and Anderson County High School earned a yellow rating, only 0.3 points away from green. Congratulations to all our students and staff for their hard work and dedication!
As a result of students’ performance, we are thrilled to report that Anderson County Schools is ranked 33rd out of 172 Kentucky school districts; a remarkable achievement that speaks to our students' hard work and dedication. Our elementary schools excelled in Reading and Math, with Robert B. Turner and Emma B. Ward achieving green ratings, and both Robert B. Turner and Anderson County Middle School earning blue ratings in the Science, Social Studies, and Writing indicator. Saffell Street Elementary showcased remarkable growth, particularly in 3rd grade reading and math, highlighting our commitment to fostering a strong foundation for future learning. Additionally, we saw outstanding growth in the Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey (QSCS), with green ratings at Anderson County Middle School and Anderson County High School. The high school also made significant strides in Postsecondary Readiness, improving by 12.1 points, and maintaining a green rating in graduation rates. Each school has demonstrated growth across multiple subjects and indicators, with highlights including significant improvements in culture and climate at Robert B. Turner and Emma B. Ward, and remarkable cohort growth from 8th to 10th grade reading as students transitioned from Anderson County Middle School to Anderson County High School.
While we are proud of our achievements, we recognize that there are areas where we can improve. Our focus as a district will be to maximize proficiency across all content areas: Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Writing. We aim to increase the number of students reaching proficient and distinguished levels while decreasing the number of students scoring novice and apprentice. Additionally, we will work diligently to strengthen student achievement in Science, Social Studies, and Writing across all grade levels and enhance the performance of Anderson County High School in Reading and Math. Finally, we will focus on improving the QSCS Survey outcomes at Saffell. With a committed approach, we believe we can elevate all our students’ learning experiences.
As we move forward, we acknowledge that our growth is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our students, families, teachers, and administrators. The impact of innovative teaching strategies, such as station teaching in special education (at Anderson County Middle School, Saffell Street Elementary, Emma B. Ward, and a modified version at Robert B. Turner), along with our commitment to standards alignment and student engagement, has been instrumental in our success. Our action steps will include closing achievement gaps by enhancing the performance of lower-performing subgroups across all schools, continuing harmonizing congruence between academic content, teaching practices and assessment, in addition to bolstering our multi-tiered system of supports. If you would like more specific information, you may view our Assesment and Accountability Update release.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our Bearcat Family. We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for their hard work and commitment to excellence.
Sincerely,
Sheila Mitchell
Superintendent
Anderson County Schools