By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Ann McCarty stressed, then restressed, that the state report grades she would be showing Tuesday evening for Bowling Green City Schools were preliminary.
The final grades, she said, wouldn’t be out until the end of September or early October.
The preliminary grades showed mixed results – one being so good that McCarty is bracing for it to change in the final report. The district had languished in the “gap closing” category which measures the area between students with disabilities and all students. Last year, when the grade went from an F to a D, that was considered a “huge accomplishment.”
This year – at least so far – the “gap closing” grade is B.
“If this remains where it is, this is huge for us,” McCarty said to the board of education.
McCarty also cautioned that since the district had received an A for progress the last two years, it was unlikely to hit that high grade again this year. “It won’t be an A,” she warned.
In the “prepared for success” category, the district slipped from a C to a D. However, she mentioned that the school scored well on ACTs, Advanced Placement courses and graduation rates. Unlike many other high schools where students have five years to graduate, Bowling Green has a “fantastic” graduation rate after four years.
The district’s overall grade is C – at least for now.
“That could go up. That could go down,” McCarty said.
McCarty went on to address some specific gains seen in the standardized tests for the students. Bowling Green saw “great gains” in high school algebra, along with reading improvement in several areas. Progress was also seen in biology and American government scores.
McCarty credited teachers’ willingness to share lessons for the success.
“That is a collaborative effort of all the teachers,” she said.
McCarty then went on to report to the school board about efforts to provide equity to the district’s students.
“We cannot treat all kids the same,” she said. “We meet them where they are, and we bring them to where they need to be.”
An equity committee is in the third year of working to get all students engaged. To gauge feelings about school, a survey was given to staff, students and parents.
While most students feel they are treated fairly and that students at school are friendly, the results showed that many students feel threatened or bullied at school.
“There are a lot of districts who wouldn’t ask this because they don’t want the answer,” McCarty said.
The survey also showed that the majority of students, parents and staff feel the schools are safe places.
McCarty talked about the faculty’s efforts to create safe learning environments, where students and staff focus on relationships and students are encouraged to participate in the learning process.
“When we’re done with this, it will be a new game for us at Bowling Green City Schools,” she said. “The days of laying passive in the classroom are gone.”
Instead of “teaching to the tests,” McCarty said this type of teaching encourages students to think critically.
