Letters to the Editor
The Marshall County School District is proud to announce we have maintained the accountability rating of a “C”, which meets the accountability goal set forth by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
District office staff and administrators of each school showing an increase are extremely proud of the hard work and accomplishments of the students, teachers, staff, parents, and communities. Likewise, we are also proud of the administrators, staff, students, parents, and communities of those schools showing a decrease because they, too, have accepted the challenge of working diligently to erase and surpass their current ratings. As a district, we will continue to set attainable goals to reach the ultimate goal of becoming an “A” district. We thank our stakeholders for their continual support.
We are excited to announce that Mary Reid School grew 88 points to attain the highest rating of a “A” for the district. “In addition to the K-3 teachers at Mary Reid’s campus who built the academic abilities of the students, fourth grade teachers have continued these efforts and grown, which helped lead them toward this goal. We are proud of our students, parents, and teachers,” affirmed Leigh Anne Sanderson, principal.
Two schools, Potts Camp Middle and H.W. Byers Middle, are our “B” schools. Potts Camp Middle School Principal Tana Miller commented about their 49-points growth – “I would just want to recognize the fourth-eighth teachers and students and commend them for not accepting the ‘C’ that we received. Everyone pulled together and made growth of all students our focus, and those efforts paid off. I am very proud of the ‘B’ rating earned by PCMS.”
H.W. Byers Middle School Principal James Kimbrough worked diligently to identify weaknesses and challenged his staff to attain a 56-point increase in scores. “I am extremely proud of the staff, students, and parents of H.W. Byers Middle for moving from a “D” to “B” school during the 2017-2018 school year. After falling to a “D” school by one point based on data from the 2016-2017 school year, our staff and students returned with a sense of pride and urgency to move H.W. Byers Middle forward. At the beginning of the 2017 school year, we set our schools goals and never looked back. I am proud to report that H.W. Byers Middle met or exceeded all academic goals set at the beginning of the school year to become a “B” status school for the first time ever,” exclaimed James Kimbrough.
We are also proud of the accomplishments of students, teachers, and staff at H.W. Byers Elementary School, led by principal Bobby Sims, who had a 99-point increase and emerged two letter grades ahead. Mr. Sims explained, “We are excited that H.W. Byers Elementary has moved from a grade of an ‘F’ to a ‘C.’ The success of the school can be attributed to the skilled and hardworking teachers. We have, what I believe, are some of the best teachers in the U.S. They do more with less, make something out of nothing, and make lemonade out of lemons almost daily. We have a very challenging population but we teach our students to focus on two simple things that will help them succeed in school and in life. Those two things are to ‘work hard and make good decisions.’ Our goal is to become a ‘B’ rated school and eventually an ‘A.’ It’s going to be challenging, but with the help and support of our parents and community, we will definitely get there and help to make Marshall County not only a great place to live, but a great place to receive a quality education.”
It is noteworthy that two schools maintained their “C” status. Byhalia Elementary showed a slight increase in points, maintaining its “C.” Principal Milony Jenkins, along with administrators and staff, have put some strategies in place in an effort to get back to its “B” status. Ms. Jenkins stated, “BES is proud of the progress we have made. Our goal is to always grow, and that’s exactly what we plan to do as we celebrate our successes and reflect on opportunities to improve and increase the current rating.”
“H.W. Byers High School is pleased to announce a maintained ‘C’ grade with a 74-point increase from the previous year for the 2017-2018 school year. We attribute our continued success to the hard-working students who were motivated by devoted parents, passionate teachers, and supportive community. We implemented a data-driven approach to reach our goals, and we look forward to increased growth and achievement for this school year,” stated principal Felicia Sharp.
We commend the efforts of the teaching staff and administrators who have kept the momentum moving, despite some challenges with the teacher shortage.
We had some schools that fell shy of their current ratings. Byhalia Middle was just three points shy of maintaining “B” status. “Although I am disappointed we did not quite meet our goal, I am incredibly proud of the high quality instruction that continues to take place at BMS. We have an excellent, hardworking faculty and bright, motivated students. I am confident that we will return to a “B” status next year,” commented Elizabeth Towle, principal.
Both Byhalia High (whose principal is now James Kimbrough) and Potts Camp High (second-year principal Billy Gray) received a “D,” while Galena (second-year principal, Shoanee Garrison) came short of last year’s “D.” Our administrators realize the sense of urgency to boost not only the scores, but also the confidence of the students and teachers. As I shared with our principals, this can only make us stronger, and make us work even more toward achieving the “B” or above districtwide. We want to strive for greater heights for our students, which I know they are already working toward. We have to accept and correct our weaknesses, build on our strengths, and fill in the gaps. Everyone who touches the lives of our students are to be involved in making tremendous strides toward our commitment of higher achievement for all students.
The accountability model bases high schools on a 1000-point scale; whereas, middle and elementary schools use 700 points. The accountability cut scores for the A-F ratings are set and approved by the MS State Board of Education (SBE) at the beginning of each school year; however, for the past two years once scores have been calculated, the SBE has sent out a recalculation. The accountability cut scores seem to be a moving target.
High schools have their work cut out for them. Both Algebra I and Biology have banked scores from the previous year. Scores of any ninth graders enrolled in those courses are not reflected until the next school year’s accountability ratings. American History and English II data reflect the current test-takers’ scores. The ACT scores are counted toward the College and Career component. We also get points for high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and/or dual-enrollment college courses.
We are enrolling more high school students who have scored a minimum ACT score of 17 in English and a 19 in math on the ACT to be eligible for dual enrollment courses with Northwest Community College. Not only does this give them a high school credit, but it also gives them 3 hours credit per course towards a college degree
“I, personally, am thankful for the opportunities our students have to begin college courses, which gives our students a boost of confidence in attaining a degree in the future,” expressed Lela Hale, superintendent. “I am also grateful for stakeholders, such as the Holly Springs Rotary Club which offers ACT tutorials for our juniors and seniors.”
In viewing our districtwide trends since 2016, the MCSD has made noteworthy gains or maintained overall growth or growth in the bottom 25 percent in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics. More students have scored well in science proficiency reaching a level 4 or 5 on the state assessments.
Next year’s accountability ratings will reflect the reconfiguration of H.W. Byers High and Elementary, as well as Potts Camp and Mary Reid Schools into 7-12 and K-6 schools, respectively. The EL component will also be new to districts for the 2019-20 school year.
As for now, we are focusing on teacher quality and support, filling vacancies due to the teacher shortage, and professional growth opportunities to provide the best learning environment for all of our students. We realize these are challenging times, but we are committed to student achievement and strive to improve the quality of life for our students.
Lela Hale,
Superintendent of Education,
Marshall County Schools