FCPS Outperforms State Averages

For the first time since the state’s new accountability system took effect in 2018, zero Fayette County Public Schools have received the lowest federal rating or been flagged for low achievement among African-American, Hispanic, or economically disadvantaged students.

“This is a watershed moment for our district,” said Superintendent Demetrus Liggins. “I could not be prouder of the incredible progress our schools have made thanks to the hard work and collaboration of our educators, students, families, and community.” 

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) publishes ratings for schools and districts annually based on student performance on the Kentucky Summative Assessment and other measures of student success, including post-secondary readiness and graduation rates.

According to results released Oct. 3, students in FCPS continue to outperform state averages at every level, and more than 76% of our campuses either increased their scores or were already in the highest two tiers of achievement.

State and Federal Results Summary

Understanding Kentucky's School Rating System

Since 2021, Fayette County Public Schools have seen a sustained upward trajectory in student performance, with significant gains in key areas such as post-secondary readiness, graduation rates, and proficiency in reaching and math. Strategic initiatives introduced over the past three years, which have focused on raising academic rigor and supporting students' needs, have been integral in driving this improvement.

“Data is an important tool that helps us measure progress and identify areas of opportunity and improvement, but multiple-choice exams cannot capture the extraordinary work of our educators or the strength, creativity, and talents of our students,” Liggins said. “We recognize the limitations of assessments confined to a few hours or days within an entire academic year.”

While celebrating these remarkable achievements, Liggins added, “Although we celebrate this historic accomplishment, I believe our students are so much more than a test. My vision for FCPS is for every child to receive a well-rounded, first-class education that includes experiences far beyond that which can be measured on an exam. That is what FCPS strives to do each day, as embodied in our Portrait of a Graduate."

The accountability system is designed to not only look at overall performance but also to determine whether schools are meeting the diverse needs of individual students based on race, family income, English language proficiency for non-native speakers, and special education identification.

Schools are identified for Targeted Support and Intervention – also known as TSI – if scores for individual groups of students are below state benchmark levels. In 2021-22, 34 Fayette County schools received TSI labels for low scores among 64 student groups. The groups flagged included African-American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged children as well as students receiving special education or English language services.

Data for 2024 resulted in TSI ratings for 12 schools. The 17 areas identified for improvement are all students receiving special education or English language services.

“During the development of our strategic plan, I repeatedly heard the comment that ‘We’ve been having this conversation for 20 years about closing achievement gaps,” Liggins said. “We will not be satisfied until all of our students reach their highest potential, but a 73% reduction in student groups identified for improvement is a significant milestone.”

Kentucky’s accountability system establishes five performance ranges and an associated color for each: “very low = red,” “low = orange,” “medium = yellow,” “high = green,” or “very high = blue.”

In Fayette County:

• 11 schools received blue ratings

• 11 schools received green ratings

• 18 schools received yellow ratings

• 12 schools with orange ratings 

• 4 schools received red ratings

Improved proficiency rates at the elementary level in 2022 and 2023 translated to increases in the percentage of middle school students meeting or exceeding state benchmarks in reading and math at the middle school level in 2024.

In 2023, 47% of middle schoolers earned proficient or distinguished marks in reading and 36% reached those levels in math. The latest release shows 50% of students at the middle school level with proficient or distinguished scores in reading and 43% in math. Those increases were also seen for students from historically marginalized populations including black and Hispanic students, as well as students receiving English language or special education services.

Fayette County Public Schools also maintained those higher achievement levels at the elementary level and posted improvements at the high school level.

Another area of significant improvement was for students receiving English language services. Children classified as “English learners” take both the Kentucky Summative Assessment and an English language proficiency exam called ACCESS, which assesses their progress in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English.

Students must reach a certain level of proficiency in each area before they can exit the English language program. Results from the 2022-23 school year resulted in 766 exiting the program after they met the state requirements for English language proficiency. That number rose to 970 students last spring, which is a 27% increase.

This work is especially critical because enrollment for students receiving English language support services continues to grow. Between the first day of the 2024-25 school year and fall break, an additional 1,577 students who require English language support services have enrolled in FCPS.

Other areas of celebration:

• Attendance: From 91.25% in the 2021-22 school year, to 91.87% in the 2022-23 school year, and 92.4% in the 2023-24 school year.

• Graduation Rates: From 89.85% in the 2021-22 school year, to 90.75% in the 2022-23 school year, and 92.65% in the 2023-24 school year. Also notable is that all six of our high schools increased their graduation rates in 2024.

• Climate and Culture: As part of the Kentucky Summative Assessment, students complete a survey to help measure school climate and culture. 86.9% of our schools had an increase in this area.

• Post-secondary Readiness: All six high schools posted gains in this category.

Liggins attributed the gains to our strategic efforts over the past three years to enhance the quality of instruction received by all students.

“This has involved increasing the rigor of the content we teach, aligning classroom lessons with state-mandated content and standards, and adding instructional coaching at every school,” he said. “Furthermore, we have implemented systems which allow teachers and principals to analyze student performance year-round and provide individualized support for students who need additional help and acceleration for students who have already demonstrated success.”

While the improvements are worth noting, he said, there is still work ahead. We continue to see that some of our campuses with the highest concentration of poverty are not performing at the same level as others. While we have made progress in improving student achievement across racial groups, the decades old achievement gap still remains. We are committed to closing this gap by continuing to implement proven strategies and addressing the unique needs of every child.

“We celebrate our progress but remain steadfast in our determination to ensure that every student has the support and resources they need to succeed,” Liggins said. “Our team will continue to work tirelessly to nurture the unique and limitless potential within each of our students.”