A Shout out to Cassidy and Meadowthorpe

Well, the new test scores are out and I'm not sure I know what they mean. But whatever they mean, a couple of "my old schools" came out near the top. And that doesn't mean nothing; not to me at least.

Congratulations to the faculties of

Top Ten

Cassidy School

and

Meadowthorpe Elementary!!!

My other "old school" is Ryland Heights Elementary in Kenton County, sitting at a pretty cool 91.5.

Actually, the Council for Better Education, the Kentucky Association of School Councils and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, created an index score, to bridge the three year period while SB 1 is being enacted. The group shared that formula with the Herald-Leader, and H-L used it to create the rankings.

This from the Herald-Leader:

Test results mixed in Fayette County

Fayette has 4 of top 5 elementary scores

Results from statewide student tests released Wednesday offer the Fayette County Public Schools both some things to cheer about and some things to mull over.

Among the county system's bright spots: it had four of Kentucky's top five scoring elementary schools; five elementary schools and one middle school in the top 10; 25 schools exceeded the benchmark of 100 on the statewide transitional index.

On the downside, Fayette high schools continued to struggle. Once again, no public high school in the county reached adequate yearly progress goals under the No Child Left Behind program. Other concerns: index scores fell at six schools; district reading targets for African-American students were missed; and six schools that made NCLB targets last year failed to do so this year...

And this:

Majority of schools have made progress

The percentage of Kentucky public schools that met federal goals fell slightly from last year, according to statewide student test results released Wednesday, but education officials said that could be misleading.

The results show that statewide, 696 Kentucky public schools — or 60.2 percent — made Adequate Yearly Progress goals for 2008-09 under the federal No Child Left Behind program. For the 2007-2008 school year, 72.9 percent of the state's public schools made AYP.

But state education department officials said during a briefing in Frankfort on Tuesday that new, higher goals for reading and mathematics probably helped depress scores and contributed to the lower percentage of Kentucky schools meeting AYP for '08-'09.

Overall, 464 schools failed to make AYP this time. Even so, 228 of them did make 80 percent or more of their goals, officials said.

Statewide, 110 Title 1 schools will face consequences under NCLB.

One school, Jefferson County's Thomas Jefferson Middle School, now has failed to meet NCLB standards for nine consecutive years. But it faces no stiffer consequences than schools that have missed only seven years.

Similarly, Jefferson County's Knight Middle School ranks near the bottom of Kentucky's middle schools and has languished there under the same leadership for most, or all, of those years.

Nineteen years into KERA, Knight's estimated index for this year is 60.1; down from 61.1 in 2008; and down from 63.4 in 2007 - and they only met 6 of 16 NCLB targets.

When critics ask why Kentucky educators would put up with these situation year after year without a change in leadership, or an even more radical restructuring, I say - it's a good question.

This situation cries out for a charter school.

It also makes me wonder what it takes to get fired in Jefferson County.

Residual Pride

I haven't been the principal of Meadowthorpe Elementary School since 1989, or Cassidy School since 2004, but I'm still happy when I see "my" students doing well.

Meadowthorpe tops Region 20

Congratulations to Meadowthorpe Elementary School, which captured first-place honors in the Governor’s Cup regional competition.

The Governor’s Cup, the state’s premier academic event, was founded in 1986 as a way to promote, recognize and reward outstanding achievement.

In the elementary division (grade 5 and below), students take part in a district and regional competition. The March 20-22 regional finals included Quick Recall and Future Problem Solving team contests and individual assessments in six subject areas.

For complete details, go to http://www.kaac.com/ and click on Governor’s Cup results. Fayette County’s elementary schools are in Region 20.

FINAL STANDINGS (top 10):
1. Meadowthorpe Elementary School
2. Cassidy Elementary School
3. Rosa Parks Elementary School
4. Dixie Elementary Magnet School
5. Ashland Elementary School
8. Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School
9. Garden Springs Elementary School

Future Problem Solving (team):
2. Meadowthorpe Elementary School
4. Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School

Quick Recall
(team):
1. Meadowthorpe
2. Dixie
3. Rosa Parks
4. Clays Mill

Hume Sportsmanship Award: Maxwell Elementary School

INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT:

Math:
1. David Stevens, Cassidy
2. Elaine Lin, Rosa Parks

Social Studies:
1. Eric Xiong, Meadowthorpe
2. Will Walters, Meadowthorpe

Science:
1. Chris Ward, Cassidy
2. Will Walters, Meadowthorpe

Language Arts:
1. Elaine Lin, Rosa Parks
2. Alice Li, Meadowthorpe

Composition:
1. Chelsea Southworth, Ashland
2. Mariah Mowbray, Cassidy

Arts & Humanities:
1. Erin Christopher, Athens-Chilesburg
2. Max Morris, Meadowthorpe

SOURCE: FCPS press release

Fayette County announces two new principals: Meadowthorpe & Cardinal Valley

Meadowthorpe

Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman is happy to announce the appointment of a new principal for Meadowthorpe Elementary School. Mike Stacy, who has six years of administrative experience, will assume his new post on July 2.

A former parole officer with the Kentucky Department of Corrections who decided to go back to school and get his teaching certificate, Stacy began his education career as a social studies teacher and head basketball coach at Powell County High School. After three years at Powell County, he worked for a year as a social studies teacher at Grant County High School before moving into administration as an assistant principal at Grant County Middle School. Also during that time, he was an assistant basketball coach at Georgetown College and the district-wide Assistant Athletic Director in Grant County. In 2004, he became assistant principal at Scott County High School and two years later, he accepted a position as Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel for the Scott County Schools. For the past three years, Stacy has also been an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown College.

Stacy said he’s excited to be the new principal at Meadowthorpe Elementary.

“It’s a fabulous opportunity. Meadowthorpe is such a quality school with a rich tradition and history, strong community support and a great faculty and staff,” he said. “When I got the call this morning, my initial thought was that it is a privilege to have the opportunity to walk into such a nice establishment.”

This from FCPS Press Release.
~
Cardinal Valley

Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman is happy to announce the appointment of a new principal for Cardinal Valley Elementary School. Ivonne Beegle, who has been the district English as a Second Language content specialist for two years, will assume her new post on July 2.

A third generation educator whose father was also a principal, Beegle has been working in the Fayette County Public Schools since she joined the staff at Maxwell Elementary in 2000. After four years, first as a language arts teacher and then as a language arts resource teacher working with students in grades kindergarten through fifth, Beegle moved to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. She taught Spanish at Dunbar for a year before joining the staff at “It’s About Kids” Support Services as a content specialist supporting all of the English as a Second Language programs in the school district.

“I feel honored, I feel humbled, I feel blessed, I was speechless,” Beegle said of her appointment. “I’m so excited to be joining a wonderful school like Cardinal Valley. Cardinal Valley is a microcosm for the rest of the country; we have our own little cosmopolitan flair. I think it’s important for people to see the richness of the neighborhood and the people in it … our kids are in the unique position of being able to learn about people from different places, languages and cultures. The kids at Cardinal Valley will be prepared to compete in a diverse society.”

Beegle’s personal experience as an immigrant to the United States at the age of eight will serve her well as the leader at Cardinal Valley, where close to 61 percent of the students receive help learning English. She was born in Latin America and moved with her family to Canada before moving to California.

“Spanish is my first language,” she said. “French is my second and English is my third.”

This from FCPS Press Release.

Meadowthorpe and Tates Creek High School Teams Crowned State Chess Champs

After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday. After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday.

The students are coached by Meadowthorpe curriculum coach Michael Price. “What makes this group special is their hard work and dedication, their commitment outside of the classroom and the way they came together to work and support each other as a team,” Price said. “Even thought the competition is made up of individual games, it’s still a team concept.”

Nearly 100 students at Meadowthorpe Elementary participate in the school chess club. Students compete to earn a spot on the state competition team.

“Chess allows our children to become analytic and reflective thinkers, which prepares them to be problem solvers in the many different situations they come across,” Price said. “They get to utilize their competitive spirit in an academic setting that still requires teamwork and training and practice for success. Just as an athlete would train and lift weights, these kids train by studying drills and boards – it’s training your brain.”

Tates Creek High School’s win marks the first state chess title in school history. The team also became the first Fayette County high school to win the competition since 1999. Lexington Traditional Magnet School placed third in the competition – improving from last year’s sixth place finish.