Overcoming the Odds! Clay educator's defy stats in state test scores

National media pundits describe Clay County in a negative light. You’ve seen the reports about Clay being one of the worst counties to live in America. The average median household income is also one of the lowest in the nation.

A study released this week from the Kentucky Youth Advocate Council shows Clay as the 119th county out of 120 with children living in poverty.

It would be easy for educators in our county to view statistics like this and feel they’re fighting a losing battle. But they didn’t. They did the exact opposite.

Clay finished as the 9th ranked elementary district out of 172 in recent testing which equates to the top five percent.

They did this while overcoming the second worst poverty rate in the state; 108 out of 120 counties with children in low-income families; 117 out of 120 with children living in food insecure households.

Superintendent William Sexton says those statistics shed an even brighter light on the job performed by his staff.

“Seeing these numbers from the Kids Count Survey really puts into perspective the accomplishments of our staff,” he said. “We know going in we have a lot to overcome, it’s really remarkable when you see that data compared to how our district performed.”

When you combine that data, with how the COVID pandemic affected in-person learning in 2020 and 2021 it’s even more shocking.

“That’s true,” Sexton said. “All districts had to overcome a lot due to COVID.”

When test scores were released following the two COVID years, every district, including Clay, saw scores plummet.

Superintendent Sexton and his staff immediately went to work to implement a plan to combat the downward spiral.

“We looked at each individual child’s score and worked with the schools on that data,” he said. “We reviewed every aspect and utilized more tutoring, math labs, summer school and after school programs along with professional development training.”

Things didn’t change overnight, but a collaboration of synergies within school staff and central staff equaled outstanding results.

“A key factor in our success was the willingness to work together,” Sexton said. “Coming together as one, with one goal and having everyone on the same page led to this accomplishment. That’s a testament to our staff and their dedication to our students.”

Burning Springs Elementary finished as the fourth ranked school in the state and all seven elementary schools ranked in the top 25% statewide. Burning Springs, Big Creek (30th statewide), Hacker (57th statewide) and Paces Creek (71st statewide) were all categorized as “Blue” which is the highest ranking in the states testing system.

Manchester missed the “Blue” ranking by a slim margin and finished as “Green” along with Goose Rock and Oneida.

Burning Springs Principal Kendra Hooker agreed, that the Kids Count data really put things in perspective.

“Seeing those numbers, the hurdles our children have to overcome in their everyday lives is heartbreaking,” she said. “My staff understands our children’s needs and their circumstances and it’s something we know must be overcome. We want to provide our children a safe learning environment and find ways to bring out their potential. Every child is different, every child learns and comprehends differently. I can’t thank my staff enough for their dedication to our children to overcome obstacles like this to achieve high academic standards.”

Elementary schools are tested in the following categories: reading; math; science; combined writing; social studies and a survey on climate/safety of the school.

In reading, three schools (Burning Springs, Big Creek, and Manchester) finished in the top 12% of the state. All seven schools finished in the top 35%.

In math, all schools finished in the top 35%.

Science scores had Burning Springs and Paces Creek in the top five percent of the state and five schools finished in the top 25%.

Combined writing had four schools in the top 10%; Social Studies had four schools in the top 25% and six schools finished in the top 25% of climate safety.

The survey showed Clay as 34th out of 170 districts in the state with fourth grade students reading at a proficient level and 42nd out of 162 middle schools for eighth grade students proficient in math.

Another factor educators in Clay County must overcome is children in foster care. The survey showed Clay is 119th out of 120 counties with a rate of 118% over the last three years. That’s a huge increase over the previous survey from 2015-17 as the county had a 91% rate.

Other factors that affect a child’s learning is smoking during pregnancy, Clay ranks 118. Low birthweight at 117 and teen births at 107.

Clay County High School also produced huge gains in the latest round of testing.

CCHS was ranked 80th in the state overall, an outstanding achievement considering they ranked as 135th the year prior.

The high school was ranked 20th in the state for school climate/safety. That data comes from a survey completed by the CCHS students.

With bullying being a huge topic in all high schools, Sexton says it was great to see how students felt about their school.

“Being in the top 20 in the state is outstanding,” he said. “Today’s culture is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past. Social media has opened an entirely new world for today’s students which sometimes leads to bullying. Of course, we attempt to address any situation that is brought to us, but it’s also good to know our students are comfortable with the environment at the high school.”

Clay Middle School also showed gains by increasing the index score in reading, science, social studies, and combined writing by an average of 3.5 points each.

Sexton says he applauds the achievements the district has made, but the work is not done.

“We celebrated this victory and now we are back at work, looking at individual student data and finding areas we can improve,” he said.