By Johnna Ballard
With the goal of being one of the top schools in Kentucky in mind, ranking 100th out of 170 Kentucky high schools in 2008 does not satisfy Mrs. Mattingly, the R.C.H.S. principal. When it comes to CATS testing and the success of Rockcastle County High School, she wants our scores and our ranking to improve.
"We’re behind… Madison County and Estill County beat us this past year," Mrs. Mattingly mentioned as she discussed the 2008 test scores. She doesn’t believe that’s acceptable.
The state judges the school on the CATS test, which tests students in core subjects over all four years of high school. The scores that come back are looked at to determine if a school is "successful," and if the scores go down over time there the State of Kentucky can directing how your school works.
There were some good signs in parts of The Rock’s CATS testing scores from last year. Comparing 2007 scores to 2008 scores, the Total Academic Index (which tells how a school is doing overall) was higher. That score was 76.3, which meant that Rockcastle was in the "progressing" range as far as the State is concerned.
The ultimate goal is to reach 100 on the Academic Index. In fact, every school in Kentucky must reach 100 by 2014, otherwise the school could be inspected and serious changes could be made. According to the Kentucky Department of Education website, the test is meant to reflect what the students are learning now and what they have learned all the way back to Kindergarten.
In Rockcastle County, the surrounding schools (the three elementary schools and the middle school) all scored higher than R.C.H.S. Part of this result has something to do with the age differences, according to Mattingly. "You simply can’t motivate a high school student in the same way you can elementary school students," she said. But, The Rock needs to change if scores are going to go up, according to Mattingly.
Certain areas of the testing were up during 2008, like the writing and reading scores; however, other areas were down. To help prepare for the test this year, there will be a math review in which the first thirty minutes or so of every math class, everyday will be dedicated to reviewing previous taught material. Other subject areas are also planning to use new ideas and go back to basics as we prepare for the CATS test in 2009.