Great news for Heritage Academy students and teachers . . .
Great news for Heritage Academy students and teachers . . .
The Idaho Department of Education released the 2018-19 test results on Friday, August 16th and Heritage Academy students made the most growth in our area!
We are proud of the hard work our students have done over the past few years! Many of our students are behind when they enroll in our school. One out of every four students has a disability that impacts his or her education. One out of every four of our students is learning English as a new language. Most of our students are overcoming economic, social and/or emotional challenges that impact their education.
These results show that our students have the mindsets, perseverance, and ability to achieve great things!!!
We are thankful to have amazing teachers and staff members. Their high expectations, commitment to our students, support and understanding have made it possible for our students to grow significantly more than many other schools.
-
Please take the time to thank your child/student for his or her hard work!
-
Please take the time to thank a teacher for his or her commitment to our students.
-
Please take the time to share our school’s success with a family member, friend, community member or elected official.
-
Congratulations, Heritage Academy!
Here is a snapshot of what our school and surrounding schools accomplished during the 2018-19 school year:
Most Significant Gains
Least Growth/Gain
-
The state uses the following method to calculate the percentage of growth: First, calculate the difference (increase) between the two numbers you are comparing. Then, divide the increase by the original number and multiply the answer by 100. If your answer is a negative number then this is a percentage decrease.
Most Challenging Characteristics
Least Challenging Demographic Characteristics
Student Demographics Characteristics
Some of you may have heard about the criticism of Heritage Academy, Jerome School District and the Jerome Community by several appointed state officials this summer. The 2018-19 assessment results show that good things are happening in our schools.
It is important to look at both the starting point (level of proficiency when school starts in the fall) and student demographic characteristics when looking at a school’s success. Some schools serve students with fewer barriers to success (economic factors, disabilities, learning English as a new language, etc.). Many of those schools start with 80-100% proficiency in the fall. Their goal is to challenge students who are already succeeding.
Most of the schools in our community serve students who have barriers to success or who are significantly behind when they start school in the fall. It’s easy to look at a test score and say that one school is better than another because the percentage of proficient students is higher. The real story is growth. Schools exist to help students learn and grow. The great thing about public education (charter schools and traditional schools) in the United States is that we welcome all students regardless of whether they are behind, ahead or just where we expect them to be academically.
We also welcome all students, even those that have significant barriers to learning.
We want all Idaho students to grow and succeed. It is exciting to see that schools in our community are all working hard to provide high-quality education to the students they serve!