Test scores a mixed bag
By Staff
Hartselle system scores all clear all in the clear
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle's school system earned gold stars this week from the Alabama Department of Education.
School systems throughout the state were given their report cards for the year, with grades based on standardized test scores from the year before.
All Hartselle schools were ranked "clear," the top designation given in the assessment. The scores are based on results from the SAT, fifth and seventh grade writing assessments and the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE).
In the Stanford test scores, Barkley Bridge Elementary posted the highest score with an 80. That score is followed by Crestline Elementary (71), Hartselle Junior High School (71) and F.E. Burleson at 61.
Hartselle's overall Stanford score was 71.
That number was high enough to earn Hartselle's school system a ranking in the state's top 20 systems. Based on Stanford scores, Hartselle's system was ranked 11th in the state. Mtn. Brook's system, located in Jefferson County, was ranked the best school system in the state, with a Stanford score of 88. Mt. Brook is followed by Vestavia Hills and Homewood, both in Jefferson County, and Madison, in Madison County.
Hartselle's school system also scored high in the number of students passing the graduation exam. Some 85 percent of 11th graders passed the graduation exam. That number increased to 97 percent by 12th grade.
Alabama students are required to pass the exam before they can graduate.
The highest graduation scores were posted by the Mtn. Brook system.
While Hartselle's system was ranked among the state's best, none of its schools were ranked in the Alabama Department of Education's "Best Schools" list.
The top spot in that list was won by the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, with a Stanford score of 90.8. It was followed by Mtn. Brook Junior High (90), Forest Ave. Elementary in Montgomery (89) and Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mtn. Brook (88).
Schools were selected based on their Stanford Achievement scores.
