The Kentucky Department of Education released its annual Unbridled Learning scores Friday.
A combination of standardized test results and ratings in categories such as achievement, growth, and graduation rate, the scores serve as a way to evaluate each institution. According to Superintendent Tom Shelton, two-thirds of Fayette County schools posted gains from the previous year, but several were particularly distinguished.
“Four schools, SCAPA at Bluegrass, Veterans Park Elementary, Picadome Elementary, and Rosa Parks Elementary, are in the 99th percentile, which means they outscore 99% of the schools in Kentucky,” he said.
While Fayette County raised its overall proficiency score, Shelton noted there are still areas to work on, with 29 of the 51 schools rated as needing improvement. William Wells Brown Elementary School was the lowest of these, scoring in the first percentile. Principal Jay Jones Jr. says to remedy this, United Way of the Bluegrass will send 400 service volunteers to help, one for each student.
“We will hopefully train the volunteers to know the specific needs of those students, so it’s really targeted support. In addition to academic support, there’s the mentoring aspect, so each kid has their own advocate,” he said.
The full set of scores is available at the websites of Fayette County Public Schools and the Kentucky Department of Education.