There are multiple ways to judge success outside of state assessments
State assessments besieged with federal requirements have been the driving force of a movement to declare winners and losers for kids, schools and districts for several decades. Once again, states are releasing assessment results and many will spend time identifying the high performing schools. However, the bulk of the time and rhetoric will be spent identifying schools and districts that are lower performing and areas that are systemic statewide concerns.
This annual process is a perfect example of utilizing an assessment based on the rank ordering of kids, schools and districts to assigns labels to kids, staff, schools and districts with limited considerations of the complexity of the education system. Yes, I realize that this may sound like excuses but it is important to note that the Kenton County School System is traditionally a higher performing school district.
The reality is that we are strong advocates of high expectations and systems-oriented change to ensure that all kids are transition ready. Additionally, a high-quality education is the only pathway to success for our kids and this has been my life’s purpose in education for 28 years.
We currently have a movement occurring across the country and here in Kentucky to include our commissioner of Education, state board of Education and our legislators supporting innovative approaches to alternative methods for accountability. In the Kenton County School District, we are committed to the success of all of our 14,000-plus amazing students and we embrace, analyze and utilize data for growth from our state accountability results.
While we understand that the state assessment is an assessment of learning, we have switched our attention to a forward-facing, real-time accountability system focused on assessments and data for learning. Our visionary Kenton County Board of Education adopted the Community Based Accountability System (CBAS) based on the work of John Tanner and we are in our second year of implementation. Ultimately, school systems and schools are accountable to their communities and I am excited to share that we have approximately 100 staff, students, business leaders, board members and parents engaged in and directing our work.
Our work is grounded in seven pillars: Student Learning/Progress, Student Readiness, Engaged-Well Rounded Students, Community Engagement/Partnerships, Professional Learning/Quality Staff, Fiscal/Operations Systems and Safety/Well Being. We now have an accountability model that addresses a holistic approach to becoming a world-class school system for our kids and community through the use of comprehensive, real-time data and a systems approach to growth.
There is a place for statewide assessments, but we must ensure that we do a better job of ensuring everyone knows the limitations and purpose of this process. Who has made more progress? The student who has an A the first week of school and has an A the last week of school or the student who has an F the first week of school and has a C the last week of school?
To learn more about the Kenton County Community Based Accountability System please visit the district website at kenton.kyschools.us.
Dr. Henry Webb was named superintendent of the Kenton County School District in 2017. Previously, he worked for Floyd County Schools. He started with the school system in 1995 as a teacher for the visually impaired before moving into administration. He was named 2016 Superintendent of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.
