NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BULLITT COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Keith Davis, Superintendent
John Roberts, Media Relations
John.Roberts@bullitt.kyschools.us
PHONE: (502) 869-8000
FAX: (502) 869-8019

Bullitt County Public Schools Continue to Make

Strong Progress on State Accountability
The Kentucky Department of Education released the school and district results of the
2015 round of state accountability measure just after midnight on October 1st.
The Kentucky assessment system is fairly complex, using multiple assessments,
evaluations, and reviews, which are placed in a formula that assigns various weights to
particular areas and results in a single number called the Overall Score.
Bullitt County Public Schools has increased its results based on this system each year
and, for the third year in a row, has been designated as a Proficient district.
Among the brightest pieces of news is the fact that all three high schools, Bullitt Central
High School, Bullitt East High School, and North Bullitt High School have been designated
as Distinguished for the first time ever, and Bullitt East has been named a School of
Distinction and is ranked as one of the top ten best-performing high schools in Kentucky.
A whopping 86% of graduating BCPS seniors rose to the challenge laid down by district
leadership and met the College/Career Ready (CCR) standard, representing a dramatic
increase over 2014 results and outpaced the state average by 19.6 percentage points in
College/Career Readiness.
Other highlights from 2015 assessment results are also impressive.
The criterion reference percentile rank (a cut score designation based on actual
percentiles from 2012-13) increased from 77th in 2014 to 88th in 2015. The overall ranking
moved BCPS to 69th out of 173 districts, surpassing 20 counties from the prior year and
represents tremendous growth since 2007, when Bullitt County Public Schools ranked
136th..

Superintendent Keith Davis said, These results are continued evidence that BCPS is
fulfilling its role as an emerging leader in Kentucky education and that our families and
communities are being well served by our local schools. I knew when I became
superintendent that with the right people in the right seats, this school system could be a
powerhouse and it is great to see that idea becoming a reality.
Also scoring in the distinguished category were Eastside Middle School and Pleasant
Grove Elementary School. This is the third year scoring Distinguished for Eastside Middle
School, and the second year running for Pleasant Grove Elementary.
Eight of the district schools scored in the Proficient category. Seven elementaries:
Freedom Elementary, Lebanon Junction Elementary, Maryville Elementary School, Mt.
Washington Elementary School, Old Mill Elementary, Overdale Elementary School, Roby
Elementary, and one middle, Bernheim Middle School, are all labeled Proficient.
In addition, five of those schools also have the label of Progressing, and Maryville
Elementary School received the label of High Progress, meaning the scores at Maryville
are among the top ten percent of improvement made in the state.
Assessment scores indicate continued improvement in district-wide gap reduction and
novice reduction, although district leaders acknowledge there is more work to be done in
these areas.
Davis noted that These improvements are not accidental, and they cannot be attributed
to any single thing, but if I have to boil it down, it is because we have a rising culture of
success across the board. Success breeds success and teachers and principals work in
tandem to analyze student needs and organize their resources - the most important of which
is time - to meet those needs. We are blessed from bottom to top with an extremely hardworking and dedicated staff that will do whatever it takes. Finally, and very importantly,
our Board of Education has supported our initiatives and provided sufficient resources to
make necessary changes.
Although pleased with the overall results, the district continues to identify areas where
improvement is still needed.
Traditionally, middle schools have been strong performers on academic assessment.
The 2015 KPREP results show a decline in overall academic achievement in some of the

middle schools, indicating the need for consistent and refined efforts for continuous
improvement.
Test results show some improvement in novice reduction. With the goal of moving all
students out of the novice category, the district leadership team (central office staff and
principals) intends to maintain focus on novice elimination over the next four years. The
district will continue to focus on gap closure as well because it believes that all children
deserve an opportunity for success.
Although the graduation rate continues to improve, there are still students who are not
successful in completing their academic programs on time, signifying the need to
concentrate efforts on graduation for all students.
Davis concludes, I want to express my deep gratitude to our entire staff, to the parents,
and to our students who have shown that hard work and preparation pays off, and that the
past does not determine our destiny. Together, we have done good work, but there is much
work to do so we celebrate today and tomorrow we redouble our efforts.
Bullitt County Public Schools has over 13,200 students in grades preschool through 12.
There are 25 school facilities, a certified staff of over 900 and a classified staff of over 800
working to make the district the leader in educational excellence.