More than

a Score

What can families do to help?

▶ Maintain a working relationship with your child’s teacher. Find the best way to

communicate so you can establish a two-way dialogue about your child.

▶ Set high expectations for your child. If he or she needs additional help or expresses an interest in a specifi c subject, work with the school to develop a plan for enrichment or improvement.

▶ Familiarize yourself with what your child should be learning this year and ask questions about the curriculum.

▶ Monitor your child’s attendance and grades using Infi nite Campus through the Internet or with the Infi nite Campus app on your phone.

▶ If your child is in middle or high school, ask the school counselor how to access his or her Individual Learning Plan, which includes test scores, career interests and tools that will help you plan for the future.

▶ Get involved. Join your school’s PTA/PTSA. Ask about volunteer opportunities. Serve on the School-Based Decision Making Council or an SBDM committee.

Questions?

Call your child’s school, visit www.morethanascore.net or email morethanascore@fayette.kyschools.us.

What the changes in state testing mean for your

family

20%

College/Career Readiness:

Graduation Rate:

College/Career Readiness: 20%

College/Career Readiness:

g /g /

Graduation Rate:

College/Career Readiness:

Testing

Every child who walks through the doors of the Fayette County Public Schools has gift s. Our job as a school district is to help our students discover their gift s and develop as productive citizens who are college and career ready.

We live in a constantly changing world full of innovation and advancements. Our schools have made substantial progress,

but a disconnect still exists in the U.S. between what most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need for success in college, their communities and workplaces. Th at means we have to change what we’re doing.

We must connect with our kids through authentic relationships and engaging instruction. Along the way we have to monitor their progress. But testing is just a tool, not the end itself. A year spent in school should result in at least a year of academic progress.

Once schools receive a score they are ranked against other schools in the state and given a rating. Th e way the system is designed, roughly 70 percent of all schools in Kentucky will fall in the needs-improvement category.

▶ Distinguished: top 10 percent.▶ Proficient: better than 70 percent of schools, but less than the top 10 percent.▶ Needs Improvement: 69th percentile or lower.

Schools with low graduation rates or persistent achievement disparities may also be labeled as "focus schools."

High Schoo

l

Middle School

EvetheOustuasca

Wfs

but a disch d l

Students

Today’s students must be prepared for careers that do not yet exist, using technology that has not yet been invented to solve problems that haven’t yet been identifi ed.

Our children are more

than a score. They Are the

future.

Elementar

y School

Tpyhpi

Along with the more rigorous standards, our students took more challenging tests last year. Scores are totally diff erent and cannot be compared with previous years. It is much harder now for students to earn profi cient or distinguished scores. Schools receive a score between 0 and 100 based on the measurements below:

▶ Achievement: based on student scores on state tests.

▶ Gap: based on the scores of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, receive special education services, are learning English as a second language or whose race is identifi ed as African-American, Hispanic or Native American.

▶ Growth: compares student performance from year to year.

▶ College/Career Readiness: based on college readiness exams, career aptitude tests, and the number of students who earn technical certifi cates.

▶ Graduation Rate: the number of students who graduate within four years.

Learning

Providing a world-class education in a constantly changing world means rethinking the way we teach, redesigning the curriculum and raising

expectations for students, schools and our

community. Learning has to be relevant so that our students graduate from high school able to think critically, work in teams to solve problems, and communicate eff ectively.

Schools use the term “standards” to describe what students must know and be able to do in order to graduate from high school ready to succeed in college courses and the workforce.

Aft er a 2009 mandate from the Kentucky General Assembly, our state was the fi rst in the country to adopt nationally developed “Common Core State Standards.” Designed to compete with the top-performing countries in the world, the new guidelines were written by leaders in business and higher education, along with parents and teachers … people who know what students need to succeed.

Last year was the fi rst year our students were exposed to the more rigorous standards in math and English/language arts. Changes in science and social studies are coming soon.

Our old curriculum expected students to know a little bit about everything. Th e standards werebroad, but not deep. Now what students learn is infused with critical thinking skills and analysis. Th ey’re developing a deeper understanding of the concepts behind the facts and formulas.

We are getting better because

our kids deserve more.

Proclainchwr

exfor students, scho

it L i h t b

Students

Today’s students must be prepared for careers that do not yet exist, using technology that has not yet been invented to solve problems that haven’t yet been identifi ed.

Our children are more

than a score. They Are the

future.

Elementar

y School

Tpyhpi

Along with the more rigorous standards, our students took more challenging tests last year. Scores are totally diff erent and cannot be compared with previous years. It is much harder now for students to earn profi cient or distinguished scores. Schools receive a score between 0 and 100 based on the measurements below:

▶ Achievement: based on student scores on state tests.

▶ Gap: based on the scores of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, receive special education services, are learning English as a second language or whose race is identifi ed as African-American, Hispanic or Native American.

▶ Growth: compares student performance from year to year.

▶ College/Career Readiness: based on college readiness exams, career aptitude tests, and the number of students who earn technical certifi cates.

▶ Graduation Rate: the number of students who graduate within four years.

20%

College/Career Readiness:

Graduation Rate:

College/Career Readiness: 20%

College/Career Readiness:

g /g /

Graduation Rate:

College/Career Readiness:

Testing

Every child who walks through the doors of the Fayette County Public Schools has gift s. Our job as a school district is to help our students discover their gift s and develop as productive citizens who are college and career ready.

We live in a constantly changing world full of innovation and advancements. Our schools have made substantial progress,

but a disconnect still exists in the U.S. between what most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need for success in college, their communities and workplaces. Th at means we have to change what we’re doing.

We must connect with our kids through authentic relationships and engaging instruction. Along the way we have to monitor their progress. But testing is just a tool, not the end itself. A year spent in school should result in at least a year of academic progress.

Once schools receive a score they are ranked against other schools in the state and given a rating. Th e way the system is designed, roughly 70 percent of all schools in Kentucky will fall in the needs-improvement category.

▶ Distinguished: top 10 percent.▶ Proficient: better than 70 percent of schools, but less than the top 10 percent.▶ Needs Improvement: 69th percentile or lower.

Schools with low graduation rates or persistent achievement disparities may also be labeled as "focus schools."

High Schoo

l

Middle School

EvetheOustuasca

Wfs

but a disch d l

More than

a Score

What can families do to help?

▶ Maintain a working relationship with your child’s teacher. Find the best way to

communicate so you can establish a two-way dialogue about your child.

▶ Set high expectations for your child. If he or she needs additional help or expresses an interest in a specifi c subject, work with the school to develop a plan for enrichment or improvement.

▶ Familiarize yourself with what your child should be learning this year and ask questions about the curriculum.

▶ Monitor your child’s attendance and grades using Infi nite Campus through the Internet or with the Infi nite Campus app on your phone.

▶ If your child is in middle or high school, ask the school counselor how to access his or her Individual Learning Plan, which includes test scores, career interests and tools that will help you plan for the future.

▶ Get involved. Join your school’s PTA/PTSA. Ask about volunteer opportunities. Serve on the School-Based Decision Making Council or an SBDM committee.

Questions?

Call your child’s school, visit www.morethanascore.net or email morethanascore@fayette.kyschools.us.

What the changes in state testing mean for your

family