PARSONS – Dr. Eddie Campbell, superintendent of Tucker County Schools, shared the schools’ status Tuesday during the regular BOE meeting. He said Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School is a transition school, Tucker County High School is a transition school and Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School is a focus school.
“There were no changes in our status in the three schools,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, we missed it by the skin of our teeth at the high school.”
Campbell said he was very impressed with the work at the high school; however, they remain a transition school.
“They missed meeting their goal by a fraction of a point,” Campbell said. “They didn’t meet the target index score. The bar was set so high at the high school, and we were worried they would not even get close. But they did a nice job. We appealed a few test scores and it just did not work out in our favor. I see good things coming down the road for them.”
Campbell said folks at the high school are disappointed, but he said he commends the staff, administration and students for the work they did to come so close.
“They didn’t expect to be that close,” Campbell said. “They worked very hard, and if you see them, please commend them on their efforts.”
Campbell said Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School remained a focus school because it could not change yet.
“They are in the status for three years, so we will be labeled as a focus school for at least one more year,” Campbell said. “Beginning next school year, our schools will be under a different scoring situation. Every school will have a letter grade of A through F. Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School will remain a focus school because that designation is federal. They will get a letter grade as well.”
Campbell said the state was late getting information out to the schools about their designations this year. He said he will have more data in January to present.
“Overall, we did okay,” Campbell said. “We have some room for improvement at all of our schools and I think we are moving in the right direction.”
Campbell said the gap between the special education is what caused the focus designation.
“As we sort through the data, we will have more information on which direction we need to go,” Campbell said. “It did improve slightly. They are working on differentiated instruction, which provides instruction to all different types of students in your classroom, especially special education. We are also working on co-teaching where teachers are more actively engaged in the delivery of instruction in the classroom as opposed to just being there to assist the kids after the regular teacher has delivered the instruction.”
Campbell said they are doing a lot of different things and they are getting better.
“We are looking at the right things to do, and over time it will make the situation better,” Campbell said. “It’s not going to happen overnight but we are addressing the issues that need addressed from an instructional standpoint in the classroom.”
BOE member Tim Turner asked if they were looking at fewer special education students being pulled out versus the teachers going into the classrooms.
“We have reduced that number,” Campbell said. “We still do some of it for targeted intervention. But we have looked at our resources which say they really need to be in the regular classrooms to get more value for what they are doing. But their main instruction is being completed in the regular classrooms.”
Campbell said the special education teachers are in the classrooms helping deliver the instruction.
“That is a model we want to get good at doing,” Campbell said. “We are not there yet, but we are working on it. This is not unique to Tucker County. Co-teaching is a struggle all over because it is a difficult model. Research shows it is an effective model. We are not used to using this so. The teacher is usually the one providing the instruction and the special education teachers serve more as a resource than anything else. Co-teaching has them on an equal footing and equal field. This is a paradigm shift for teachers.”
The next regular meeting of the Tucker BOE is slated for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 5.
