Lincoln Principals Give Annual Report To Public

LINCOLN -- The annual report to the public for Lincoln Consolidated School District was presented Oct. 17 during the School Board's monthly meeting.

The district report included test scores from the ACT Aspire tests given last spring to grades 3-10 and school reports given by each building principal.

  • Lincoln District Goals
  • Improve individual student achievement.
  • Provide a safe, nurturing and orderly environment.
  • Enhance staff effectiveness by providing quality professional development, recognition and leadership.
  • Improve communication between parent, school and community.
  • Building community relationships.
  • Maintain fiscal stability.

The ACT Aspire tests, given for the first time in the spring to students in Arkansas public schools, included exams on English, math, reading, science and writing.

Districtwide, 63 percent of Lincoln students met or exceeded readiness in English, 46 percent met or exceeded readiness in math, 40 percent met or exceeded readiness in reading, 37 percent in science and 32 percent in writing.

Jana Claybrook, district executive master teacher, said the 2016 test scores will give Lincoln a baseline for future years.

"We set our goals based on these beginning scores," Claybrook told School Board members.

The focus at Lincoln Elementary School will be on reading, said Principal Jill Jackson.

First and second graders take the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and for 2016, 36 percent of first graders and 43 percent of second graders met or exceeded goals for the reading portion of the tests. Math scores were higher.

For the ACT Aspire test in reading, 35 percent of third graders and 47 percent of fourth graders met or exceeded readiness.

The goal, Jackson said, is to have all students reading on grade level. More specifically, she said the goal is for all students to be proficient in phonological awareness, reading comprehension and fluency, all building blocks for reading success.

The elementary school has 311 students and of these, 74 percent are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program.

At Lincoln Middle School, the goal is to increase students' math and comprehensive skills through a variety of real world applications, said Principal Michelle Price. Students will develop a working understanding of how their experiences and skill sets can translate into success outside the classroom, she added.

The middle school's average test scores were higher than the state average. For language arts, almost 53 percent of the students met or exceeded readiness, compared to about 48 percent for the state. For math, 54 percent met or exceeded readiness, compared to 43 percent for the state.

The middle school has 375 students, with 72 percent eligible for free or reduced-lunch program.

Goals for Lincoln High School are to help students increase their critical thinking skills and problem solving skills by analyzing a variety of text in math and English language arts, said Principal Courtney Jones.

Another goal is that all graduating students will have a plan for post-secondary endeavors.

Jones told Board members that math is a weakness for her eighth, ninth and 10th graders. The school's math scores were lower than the state average, her report shows.

Students who struggle in Algebra 1 continue to struggle in other math classes, Jones said.

To address this problem, students who make a C grade or lower the first semester in Algebra 1 will double up in math the second semester and retake the course, Jones said.

Lincoln's graduation rate is almost 90 percent, compared to about 85 percent for the state. The high school has 498 students and 67 percent are eligible for the free and reduced-lunch program.

The report included a breakdown about the district's gifted and talented program for 2016-17. Students in this program are involved in lots of projects and activities, including Science Olympiad, chess tournaments, Quiz Bowl, robotics, Odyssey of the Mind, History Day and the National Geographic Bee.

The report also included the district's goals and mission statement and financial information.

General News on 10/26/2016