1/17/2009 CERA shows district fared better than expected on state achievement tests By Joy Campbell Messenger-Inquirer Quite a number of schools in the greater Owensboro region are performing better than expected on state achievement tests, according to a study from the Center for Educational Research in Appalachia. That's good to know for several reasons, said Jack Herlihy, an associate professor at Eastern Kentucky University and the center's director. "No Child Left Behind says we need to educate all kids, but it's easier to educate rich kids and tougher to educate poor kids," Herlihy said. "The study shows that Owensboro-Daviess County and the surrounding region understand how to meet the needs of their populations." The data analysis and mapping for the study were prepared by Herlihy, Jerry Johnson and Tyler Huffman at EKU. Since it was established, CERA has been analyzing the academic performances of the 70 school districts in Kentucky that are within the federally defined Appalachian region. The idea grew out of the recognition that very little educational research is conducted on the unique challenges and strengths of rural schools. The long-term goal of the organization, however, is to establish a multistate organization serving P-16 public schools throughout the 13-state Appalachian Region. This year, the educators mapped their findings for the entire state for elementary, middle and high school and district levels. Using regression analysis, the professors found the expected or norm scores for students who receive free and reduced lunch and subtracted those from the actual scores for this population. The difference or answer in that calculation shows the extent these students are either over- or under-performing considering their socio-economic challenges. "We're a little different," Herlihy said about CERA. "Every time we do a study, we match it to the rest of the state." The state's mapping of test scores creates a large group of districts in the middle, Herlihy said. The actual Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, or CATS, score is not relative to the barriers poor districts have, he said. "We couldn't tell how we were doing in that analysis," he said. " ... We knew, though, we were doing much better on CATS than expected." The 35 districts that are exceeding expectations in the CERA study are rural and primarily poor, he said. In the Owensboro region, Owensboro Independent is one of the outperforming districts, along with Hancock, McLean, Muhlenberg and Ohio county systems. The study shows that Daviess County, at the district level, is performing "as expected," which is not surprising since it is larger and a little more affluent, Herlihy said. Owensboro Superintendent Larry Vick said the CERA study provides better information than raw CATS scores. " ... Some people start at the 50-yard line and get to the goal line quicker," Vick said. "Just to see who gets to the goal line first is not a good indicator." All Kentucky districts are aiming for a 100 score out of 140 on their CATS scores by 2014. Districts with higher socio-economic standings made it to the state's 100 goal first and received rewards, Vick said. "And some of those districts are doing a great job," he said. "It makes a difference, though, where you're starting." The superintendent pointed to recent awards Owensboro has won from U.S. News & World Report and Standard & Poors that show students are outperforming expectations. "We're doing way more than what is expected," Vick said. "We're putting more resources in and getting really good results." Looking at data in a unique way, as with the survey, is always helpful, said Daviess County Superintendent Tom Shelton. "In Kentucky, it makes sense to break down the data by socio-economic indicators," Shelton said. "Kentucky doesn't have large numbers of minorities or large numbers of non-English-speaking students, although that population is growing. But socio-economic status affects all of Kentucky." The superintendent cautioned, however, against using the data as an excuse for students not achieving at high levels. "That's not what the study is saying, but some people may use it in that way," he said. "The study shows, however, that some low-socio-economic districts are high-achieving." Daviess County's data shows students are outperforming at all three grade levels, but the district overall falls in the middle category, which means it's performing as expected. "In our district, we're trying to redefine student success and look at how to prepare students to succeed beyond high school," he said. The CERA data and the CATS scores are two of many indicators of success for Daviess County students, Shelton said. Joy Campbell, 691-7299, jcampbell@messenger-inquirer.com