CATS 2006 Results

To understand the importance of the scores released today by the Kentucky Department of Education, it is helpful to understand a bit of background on the Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System, more commonly known as CATS.

Each spring, students in Kentucky are tested on state and national tests:

• The state exam is called the Kentucky Core Content Test and assesses student ability in seven subject areas – reading, math, writing, science, social studies, arts and humanities, and practical living and vocational studies. Students are tested on different subject areas at different grade levels. Student scores are determined to be either novice, apprentice, proficient or distinguished.
• The national test is called the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. It measures how Kentucky students stack up against their peers in other states. Scores are reported on a scale of 0 to 99, with 50 being the national average. Students in grades 3, 6 and 9 take this test.

To determine how a school rates in CATS, scores from these two tests are combined with measures of non-academic success, like student attendance, and the percentages of students who are held back a grade or drop out of school. Schools are given an overall accountability grade that ranges from 0 to 140.

Breckinridge Elementary School students helped celebrate the school’s double-digit gains in CATS. The school is one of five in the district that made such strides.

By 2014, all schools are supposed to have an overall score of 100. In order to judge progress toward that goal, schools are judged every year on goals that are individually calculated for each school. The state determines that a school has met its goal, made progress or is in need of assistance on the basis of how their two year average score compares with the predetermined goal.

The sheer volume of scores released today is enough to make anyone head's spin. There are scores for 2006 in CATS and CTBS as well as two-year scores for CATS. The focus in Fayette County is on annual progress, so the majority of our comments today will be linked to spring 2006 performance on CATS.

Last update: 10/18/2006 5:51:36 AM     Printer friendly view