MPS students outscore state test averages

Central Elementary and other local students are more than keeping up with their peers around the state.

Courtesy photo

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Public School District outpaced its peers and the state in nearly all categories in the 2021-22 assessment results released Nov. 23 by the Nebraska Department of Education.

Data from the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) included district results as well as results from MPS schools.

The only areas where results were lower or tied with peer schools or the state came in the graduation rate and college-going rate at McCook Senior High. The graduation rate at MHS is 87%, with peers at 92% and the state average at 87%. For college-going rates, MHS scored 72% with peers at 74% and the state at 73%.

For all other scores, McCook Public School students out-performed their peers and state, in some instances by nearly 20 percentage points.

McCook Schools Superintendent Grant Norgaard said staff keeps track of the number of credits required for each student to graduate and “can see it coming” if a student is lagging. Teachers then work with the student to earn the credits required but the reality is, some students don’t get all the credits in time and miss graduating, he said. In some cases, students can graduate the following year but for some students, the credits are never made up. Bottom line, “You gotta do the work” to graduate, Norgaard said.

The college-going rate could be affected by the way students are tracked, he said. The state may only track students going to college in Nebraska and not out-of-state colleges, like Fort Hays in Kansas. College-going scores also don’t reflect students going into the military, many of whom use the military as a way to pursue higher education.

On the whole, Norgaard said he was pleased with the results, considering the setbacks produced by the pandemic such as the online learning/student isolation. Norgaard said nationally, student scores have been going up incrementally each year, until after the pandemic. That’s when national student scores fell back 30 years to those recorded in the 1990s, he said.

Although the pandemic still had an effect at McCook Public Schools, it was not to the extreme as national trends, he said. Compared to that, “We’re happy where we’re at, but there’s still work to do, obviously.”

2021-22 District Snapshot, compared to peer schools and state:

Classification: Great. Schools are classified as Excellent, Great, Good or Needs Improvement as well as designating priority schools. All the schools in the MPS district were also classified as Great.

Student membership, 1,387 (peers: 1,385, state, 327,055)

Teachers, 95 (peers, 97, state, 23,962)

English learners, 3% (peer, 3%, state, 8%)

Free/reduced lunch, 33% (peers, 33%, state, 41%)

Gifted, 7% (peers,10%, state, 13%)

Special education, 15% (peers, 17%, state, 16%)

Attendance rate, 94% (peers, 93%, state, 92%)Dropout rate, 3% (peer, 3%, state, 2%)

English/Language Arts: 58% (peers, 49%, state, 47%)

Math: 62% (peer, 52%, state, 46%)

Science: 83% (peer, 73%, state, 66%)

ACT: English/Language Arts: 65% (peers and state, 46%) math, 54% (peers,47%, state, 44%); Science: 63% (peers, 50%, state, 48%)

Graduation rate: 87% (peers, 92%, state, 87%)

College-going rate: 72% (peers, 74%, state, 73%

By school: Nebraska students in grades 5, 8 and high school third-year cohort are tested in science, and grades 3-8 and high school third-year cohort are tested in mathematics. and grades 3-8 and high school third-year cohort are tested for English Language Arts. In high school, only ACT results are compiled.

McCook Elementary 2021-22: Kindergarten to third grade, 411 students, 28 teachers; Free/reduced lunch, 35%, English learners, 3%; Gifted, 2%.

English/Language Arts: 59% proficient (63% in 2018-19), Peers, 58%, state, 47%

Math, 58% proficient (52% in 2018-19); Peers, 56%, state, 46%.

Central Elementary 2021-22: Fourth and fifth grades, 199 students, 15 teachers; Free/reduced lunch, 33%; Gifted, 6%; English Learners, less than 10 students.

English/Language Arts: 59% proficient (61% in 2018-19); peers, 52%, state, 47%

Math, 65% proficient (68% in 2018-19); peers, 55%, state, 46%)

Science, 84% proficient (80% in 2018-19); peers, 73%, state, 66%

McCook Junior High 2021-22: Sixth through eighth grades, 324 students, 21 teachers; Free/reduced lunch, 39%, English learners, 4%; Gifted, 10%.

English/Language Arts: 57% proficient, (59% in 2018-19), peers and state, 47%

Math: 61% proficient (60% in 218-19), peers, 50%, state, 46%

Science: 80% proficient (77% in 2018-19) peers, 69%, state, 66%.

McCook Senior High: Ninth through 12th grade, 453 students, 31 teachers; Free/reduced lunch, 27%; Gifted, 11%; English learners, less than 10 students.

NSCAS ACT (11th grade)

Percentage meeting expectations:

English/Language arts: 65% proficient (63% in 2018-19); peers, 43%, state, 46%.

Math: 54% (52% in 2018-19); peers, 44%, state, 54%.

Science: 63% (60% in 2018-19); peers, 47%, state, 48%.

Graduation rate: 87% (peers, 90%, state, 87%)

College-going rate: 72% (peers, 74%, state, 73%)