What’s wrong with Lexington’s lowest performing schools? How the state wants them fixed

In the Fayette County school district, the use of data to make decisions is “unclear and informal,” a state diagnostic review team’s audit of Lexington’s lowest performing schools has found.

Data is not used to improve student achievement, the review also found.

This year, the Kentucky Department of Education designated Harrison Elementary School and William Wells Brown Elementary School’s performance as being in need of Comprehensive Support and Improvement and in need of educational recovery.

That meant in January, the state conducted in-depth audits of Fayette County’s two lowest performing schools and of the school district in general.

On statewide tests in third-grade reading at Lexington’s Harrison Elementary in 2021-2022, 23% of third-grade students scored proficient/distinguished in reading compared to the statewide average of 45%.

At William Wells Brown Elementary in third grade, 20% of students reached the proficient/distinguished level in reading, compared to the state average of 45%.

Everywhere in the district, auditors found a desire for a “student-centered focus” in all schools, and “all stakeholders demonstrated a commitment that students’ zip codes will not define their success. “

But the auditors also found problems. Students weren’t using technology to learn and they weren’t monitoring their own progress.

The auditors addressed the professional learning communities at the Fayette schools. Those are teams of educators within a school who share ideas to enhance their teaching practice. They said the school district needs to ensure the data collected and analyzed in those meetings have an impact on planning and instruction.

Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said the results of these recent diagnostic reviews affirm that the supports the district has put in place are targeting the areas that require the most attention.

“There are no surprises in these reports,” he said.

Students at Harrison and William Wells Brown elementary schools have struggled academically for years. At Harrison, 89.5% of students are economically disadvantaged. At William Wells Brown, 92.7% of students are economically disadvantaged.

Called the Cognia Diagnostic Review, the audit is conducted by a team of highly qualified evaluators who conduct an in-depth examination of student performance, interviews with stakeholders and observations of instruction, learning and operations.

Once the state notifies schools they need comprehensive support, they must develop a turnaround plan. After the release of audit findings, the school decision making council is suspended and oversight is transferred to the superintendent.

The review said principals and the Fayette school district were capable of handling the turnaround at both schools.

Harrison Elementary

The Diagnostic Review Team said Harrison is on the right track but should create a committee to specifically address the “climate” at the school, including the retention of highly qualified staff.

Several stakeholders at the school told auditors high staff turnover makes it hard to sustain improvement initiatives and programs.

The state diagnostic review found that Harrison needs better systems so students’ academic and behavior needs don’t continue to go unmet.

During interviews with leadership and teachers, many also identified a need for school staff to improve the way they engage with families.

Learners at Harrison are not using digital tools or technology to communicate and work collaboratively, the auditors found.

”The team noted few learning opportunities that involved a high level of rigor or optimal integration of technology,” the district audit said.

Observations at Harrison further revealed that:

• Students often do not understand their own progress toward learning goals.

• Harrison has its third principal in three years, the review found, but said the latest principal is capable of leading a turnaround.

• The auditors recommended that school leaders implement a robust system that has students making learning adjustments according to teacher feedback.

• Teachers should get professional development that increases rigor.

• Staff should design rigorous learning opportunities and establish high expectations to help students attain proficiency, the audit said.

William Wells Brown

Achievement data show some positive trends at William Wells Brown.

On reading scores in the Measured Achievement Progress tests, students in the lowest percentile range decreased from 43% in fall 2021 to 40% in fall 2022. Math scores also improved from 47% in the lowest percentile range to 40%; and in the higher percentile range, scores increased from 9% to 12%.

But people in the school reported concerns to auditors regarding discipline. Teachers described large class sizes and the resulting challenges to classroom management.

The review also found:

• The Diagnostic Review Team identified a need at William Wells Brown for more grade-appropriate and challenging lessons that promote higher-order thinking.

• The school has implemented several programs to improve school culture and academic performance, but interviews with people at the school revealed a lack of data to show the effectiveness of these programs.

• Interviews suggested the school would benefit from identifying the mission and instructional goals of various programs and evaluating those goals to determine whether they support the academic needs of students.

• Educator interviews indicated teachers do not always understand the mission of programs and lack confidence that programs are increasing student achievement and decreasing behavior problems.

• Teachers felt that they have time to plan, but due to the various programs, do not have enough time to prepare and individually analyze lessons, reteach, and adjust instruction as needed.

The auditors suggested the school develop and implement training on challenging cognitive lessons and tests,

There should also be a schoolwide focus on rigor, including using coaches and educational recovery staff to assist with efforts to increase rigor. Current programs should be evaluated, the auditors said.

Interviews with educators revealed that the school has systems to monitor instruction, but some programs and initiatives are not being monitored for effectiveness. Some groups of students were engaged in active discussions and on task while others were disengaged.

Interviews also indicated teachers receive little feedback on instructional plans, delivery of instruction, and depth of rigor.

School leaders should design professional development courses that help staff provide rigorous instruction and otherwise improve teaching, auditors said. They should ensure all schools embrace a culture of high expectations.

District response

In response, Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins told the Herald-Leader the district is grateful for the Kentucky Department of Education’s partnership and vote of confidence in school and district leadership.

The district has an improvement plan that identified the same issues as the state audit, such as the need for high-functioning professional learning, a focus on engaging and rigorous instruction, and the development of structures that turn student data into “actionable changes,” Liggins said.

“I appreciate the hard work and dedication of these campus leaders and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to accelerate student achievement,” he said.

Effective leadership is essential to achieving student success because a strong campus principal sets clear expectations, establishes a culture of high standards, and provides guidance and support to help students achieve their full potential. Having high-caliber principals at both of these schools is an excellent foundation for the work ahead, Liggins said.

At both Harrison and William Wells Brown, Liggins said, the district has placed instructional specialists in each building and deployed experts in special education, multilingual education, gifted and talented instruction, literacy and mathematics to work directly with teachers.

“We feel a sense of urgency to do everything possible to provide a world-class education for all students and are confident that our efforts are on the right track,” Liggins said.