The Vicksburg Warren School District is a D rated district, but the letter grade doesn’t tell the whole story.
The district saw improvements in scores and moved closer to being a C rated district once again. Like a pendulum on a clock, the slide must be stopped before momentum can be gained in the opposite direction.
Superintendent Chad Shealy took the reins of the district last year in October, after the district had established its curriculum for the year.
With this year’s new accountability system based on college- and career-readiness standards, the Mississippi State Department of Education is considering the 2013-14 year a transitional year for letter grades. Because of the transition, the U.S. Department of Education granted districts and schools a one-year waiver that allows them to retain the previous year’s grade if the 2013-14 grade is lower. The VWSD was not one of the districts requiring a waiver.
Comparing MDE’s data from 2012-13, the VWSD saw seven schools increase in letter ratings and 10 grew a staggering 582 points combined. “We are very pleased to see an increase in our scores despite the wake of decreases in the majority of the rest of the Mississippi school districts,” Shealy said.
Under the new accountability system, greater emphasis is placed on high school graduation rates and student growth. There are two particularly key differences in the new assessment. Students meet growth if their scores improve from one proficiency level to the next, or move sufficiently within the lower proficiency levels. GED completers and other types of non-traditional diplomas no longer count toward graduation rates. These students do not accumulate credit in the new system, per state statute.
The district spent $600,000, or  $18,181 per student, last year to educate 33 students in the GED program. Traditional students were educated at a rate of approximately $8,500 per student. Those 33 GED students proved costly both in dollars spent and in a decreased graduation rate.
The new system is based soley on testing and doesn’t account for growth and success at Bowmar and Bovina Elementary schools due to the “Leader in Me” program and the improvements to come at the three other schools implementing the program.
Progress is happening at the VWSD and the numbers are beginning to show.
Vicksburg High School had a higher graduation rate than Warren Central High School. VHS had a rate of 61.5 percent and Warren Central 58.1 percent with the district boasting a 58.9 percent rate.
Dropouts continue to cost the district not only in terms of graduation rate but also in Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds. The dropout rate stands at nearly 22 percent district-wide, with GED students now counted as dropouts even upon completion of the program.
Another indicator of progress is the successes seen at Vicksburg Junior High. VJHS outscored Warren Central Junior High in letter grade and numerical value.
“We will continue to move forward as we meet the challenge of the most rigorous standards our state has ever seen,” Shealy said. “We know our obstacles and will press forward for growth because as good as we are, we are choosing to be better.”
This year, the district has implemented a curriculum in alignment with Common Core Standards and we look forward to seeing how far the district can progress.