State ranks MPS schools great, good

McCOOK, Neb. — School classifications were released by the Nebraska Department of Education on Wednesday, with three McCook Public Schools ranked as great and one as good.

The classification system of AQuESTT (Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow) annually classifies schools and districts as Excellent, Great, Good, or Needs Improvement. The rankings are based not only on test scores but also on student improvement and growth, such as graduation rates, progress for English Learners, reduction in chronic absenteeism, and other measures of school quality and student success.

McCook Elementary, Central Elementary and McCook Junior High were ranked as great, with McCook High School ranked as good.

Off the 1,994 schools in Nebraska, 129 (12 percent) were classified as Excellent, 468 (42 percent) were Great, 370 (33 percent) were Good, and 139 (13 percent) were designated as Needs Improvement.

Schools that scored very close to the next higher classification are qualified to be bumped-up, when evidence is submitted to the NDE. That happened last year, when Central Elementary was re-classified from great to excellent after documentation was submitted to the state.

Last year, MHS was classified as great, along with the other schools in the district.

McCook High School principal Jeff Gross said he knew the school would dip in classification this year as overall test scores at the school dropped last year compared to the previous year. Despite still outscoring the state in test scores, that made a difference, he said.

But, the school is eligible to be bumped-up to Great.

“That tells me we weren’t far off from the Great classification as we’re eligible to be re-classified,” he said. Factors he cited for lowered test scores last year included a high number of transfer/ transient students, or students with a high mobility rate and a larger percentage of special education students.

Student scores, mobility rate and enrollment figures from the McCook Alternative School are included with the McCook High School figures.

Gross said he and staff are currently compiling documentation to submit to the NDE for re-classification. “At the end of the day, our scores are still above the state average and students are getting a great education here,” he said.

Data for each school in McCook Public Schools from the AQuESTT classifications include:

McCook Elementary

Classification: Great; students, 439; teachers, 30; English learners, 3%; free/reduced lunch, 46%; Gifted, 0%.

Perfomance:

English/Language arts: 63%, state, 52%

Math, 52% state, 52%

Science: not assessed in third grade

Central Elementary

Classification: Great; students, 214; teachers, 15; English learners, 5 %; free/reduced lunch, 50%; gifted, 11%.

Performance:

English/Language Arts, 61%, state, 52%

Math, 68%, state, 52%

Science, 80%, state 66 %

McCook Junior High

Classification: Great; students, 301; teachers, 21; English learners, less than 10; free/reduced lunch, 48%; gifted, 16%

Performance:

English/Language Arts, 59% state, 52%

Math 60%, state, 52%

Science, 77%, state, 66%

McCook Senior High

Classification: Good; students, 471; teachers, 31; English learners, less than 10; free/reduced lunch, 34%; gifted, 11%.

Performance:

ACT 11th grade

English/Language arts, 63%; state, 51%

Math, 52%, state, 52%

Science, 60%, state, 53%

College-going rate, 79%, state, 76%

State data

schools 1,994

School districts, 244

students 325,984

teachers 23,702

English learners, 6%

free/reduced lunch, 45%

Gifted, 13%

special education, 15%