Union County Public School District Achieves Proficient Status

NEWS RELEASE

Union County Public School district has increased overall to reach Proficient status in the state’s Unbridled Learning Accountability System.

Union County Middle School earned the Proficient/Progressing status, while Uniontown Elementary School and Sturgis Elementary School were also both Proficient.

All elementary and middle schools have three areas (Achievement, Gap, Growth) which combine to reflect an overall score for the school. High schools have two additional areas (College/Career Readiness and Graduation Rate) which factor into their overall score.

Union County Middle School increased in every measured area, with a significant increase in the Achievement area, and will move off the focus school list next year by meeting their Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) as set by the state. Principal Jeremy Roach is pleased with the school’s progress. “It’s nice to see evidence of the work we have put into improving our culture over the last four years,” said Roach. “While test scores don’t define us, it is gratifying to see we are moving in the right direction by this state indicator. We see first-hand every day how great our school is just by witnessing the growth of our student leaders and staff.”

Uniontown Elementary increased in two out of three areas and achieved the highest overall score in the district. This is largely due to their strides in the area of Novice Reduction. Tamala Howard credits her staff for pouring their hearts into making a difference for each and every student. “We are extremely proud to achieve Proficient status,” said Howard. “Novice Reduction was a huge focus for our school and we met all of our goals in that area. We know we will continue working on Gap, but we are so pleased that Uniontown is making great strides for our students.”

Sturgis Elementary had the highest score in the district in the area of Achievement. Principal Michelle Hall reports that overall she is very pleased with the performance of Sturgis students and staff. “We have a lot to celebrate- our overall achievement rose and is higher than it has ever been,” said Hall. “We know we must work on Novice Reduction in order to push toward that Distinguished ranking and we are already working on it. I am so very proud of our Leader in Me students who have taken the lead role in their learning and can already see the difference it is making in our school overall and in our students’ lives.”

Union County High School, our flagship school, showed improvement in two out of five areas: Achievement and College Career Readiness. “I’m very proud of our students for earning the highest College/Career Readiness score in school history and for showing improvement in the Achievement portion of our accountability,” said Principal Evan Jackson. “Our staff is studying all data points to learn how we can improve our services to students. We have a lot of positive momentum headed in the right direction, and we’re committed to keep working toward long-term success.”

Morganfield Elementary Principal Melissa Willett looks forward to seeing great things at Morganfield Elementary this school year. “Our vision and mission at Morganfield Elementary is to Love, Learn and Lead to Make Everyone Successful,” said Willett. “We will continue to instill leadership qualities within our students and evaluate their individual educational need each day.”

Morganfield Elementary School and Union County High School were in the Needs Improvement category. They will be celebrating individual student strengths, revisiting opportunities for improvement, and implementing a detailed plan of action for next steps.

“The district data from the last three years tells us we are headed in the right direction,” said Superintendent Patricia Sheffer. “Two years ago, we had two schools ranked Proficient for the first time ever. Last year, we had one Proficient and one Distinguished. This year, we are a Proficient district with three Proficient schools. We know how to be successful; we are now working to apply those best practices to every school in a sustainable way. Our goal is to see continuous improvement at every school and build a long-term culture of growth and achievement district-wide.”

2015 Classification 2016 Overall Score 2016 Classification
Union Co. Needs Improvement 66.8 Proficient
MES Needs Improvement 60.4 Needs Improvement
SES Distinguished 70.7 Proficient
UES Needs Improvement 71.7 Proficient
UCMS Needs Improvement 66.3 Proficient/Progressing *Focus School
UCHS Proficient 69 Needs Improvement

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