(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Two Kentucky high schools were recognized for their achievements in the national High Schools That Work (HSTW) reform initiative during the HSTW Annual Staff Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in July.
Franklin County High School received the Gold Improvement Award. Presented by Mark Music, president of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the award recognized the top 70 schools in the HSTW network that have shown the most improvement in student achievement.
Franklin County High showed improvement in student achievement by having mean scores on the HSTW Assessment that meet the HSTW performance goals in reading, mathematics or science, measured by student populations of similar demographics assessed in 2002 and 2004. The school also showed similar trends on state assessments.
The Silver Improvement Award was presented to Hancock County High School, which ranked among the highest in improvement within the state of Kentucky. The silver awards are given to sites that made the most notable gains in their state on the 2004 HSTW Assessment and also showed similar trends on the state's assessment.
The HSTW assessment, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) framework, is given in even-numbered years to at least 60 students who are taking or have completed at least three courses in a career/technical program. Schools receive a comprehensive report that allows them to measure the success of their students against all HSTW sites and schools with similar demographics.
"We believe that High Schools That Work and Kentucky's efforts to reach and surpass proficiency are closely aligned," said Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit. "The Kentucky Department of Education is working to assist high schools in refocusing their efforts so that more students can master rigorous and relevant academic and technical concepts."
"The award is recognition that when schools change what is expected of students, what they are taught, and how they are taught, you will get improvement in student achievement," said Gene Bottoms, senior vice president of SREB and director of HSTW. "The award is to encourage leaders and teachers in all schools to make changes that will result in higher student achievement."
The Southern Regional Education Board is a multi-state compact for education, founded in 1948. Created by SREB and a consortium of states in 1987, HSTW engages state, district and school leaders and teachers in partnerships with students, parents and the community to improve the way all high school students are prepared for work and further education. HSTW provides a framework of goals, key practices and key conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards. The two major goals of HSTW are:
- to raise the mathematics, science, communication and technical achievement of more students to the national average and above
- to blend the essential content of traditional college-preparatory studies -- mathematics, science and language arts -- with high-quality career/technical studies by creating conditions that support school leaders, teachers and counselors in carrying out key practices
High Schools That Work is the largest whole-school improvement effort in the United States, with a network of more than 1,000 school sites in 31 states. HSTW is supported by member states and grants from organizations, such as the Wallace Foundation, the Goldman-Sachs Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Office of Educational Research for Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education, the Carnegie Corporation and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
Kentucky has been a part of the HSTW network since the late 1980s, beginning with only three high schools. Eighty high schools now participate in this reform initiative and have shown consistent improvement in student achievement. The HSTW framework for school reform is based on 10 key practices that are aligned to the Kentucky Standards and Indicators for School Improvement and to the state's education goals.
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