By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
Parents with children in either the Oxford or Lafayette County school district now have bragging rights that their children attend Grade A school districts.
The Mississippi Department of Education has released the official accountability ratings for schools and districts across the state and Oxford School District and Lafayette County School District both received an “A” rating.
Mississippi’s A-F grading system measures overall student performance and their progress from year to year, graduation rates, and college and career readiness.
“We are proud of the achievement of our students for the 2018-2019 school year. Their hard work is what is on display here,” said OSD Superintendent Brian Harvey. “We are happy for all of our employees. It took every one of them doing their absolute best in order to achieve this honor. It is an honor for each of our employees to work in what is considered one of the best school districts in the state and region.”
Harvey said the school district has several long-term initiatives that the district is pursuing at the school, district and community levels that include the recently adopted Portrait of a Graduate, standards-based grading, District of Innovation, Scholastic Institute and career academies.
“Through the previously mentioned initiatives and with the help of an inspired and well-trained staff we can achieve even greater things,” Harvey said. “Our goal is to have 95% of our students proficient by 2024-2025.”
Bramlett, Oxford and Della Davidson elementary schools all earned an “A” grade. Oxford High and Intermediate schools earned “B” grades, missing the “A” mark by just a few points; however, OHS dropped down from last year’s “A” grade while Oxford Middle went from a “B” grade last year to earn an “A” grade this year.
The 2017-2018 statewide accountability showed OSD was:
* 59.1% of students are proficient in reading
* 71.4% of students are proficient in math
* 76.7% of OSD students are proficient in history
* 81.1% of students are proficient in science
The report also showed that 71.4% of students were college and career ready. The district has a 90.1% rate.
In Lafayette County, the Upper and Lower Elementary schools earned an “A” grade, and the middle school and high school earned “B” grades.
Superintendent Adam Pugh said he was proud of the students, teachers, staff and administration, parents and “everyone involved within our district.”
“We are very excited to once again be an A district,” Pugh said. “As always, we will keep working to get better and better. We never want to sit back and think we are good enough. We always have room for improvement.”
The LCSD statewide accountability scores showed:
* 52% of students are proficient in reading
* 64.8% of students are proficient in math
* 71.4% of students are proficient in history
* 80.4% of students are proficient in science
The report showed that 39.3% of students were college and career ready. The district has an 83% graduation rate.
The Accountability Report is “unofficial” until approved by the Mississippi Board of Education, which will vote on the report on Thursday.
