HANCOCK COUNTY — School districts in Hancock County maintained their overall state letter grades in 2017-18, earning the same rating as they did for the school year prior.
Three of the county’s four public school corporations — Southern Hancock, Mt. Vernon and Eastern Hancock — kept their top “A” marks from the Indiana Department of Education. Greenfield-Central schools maintained a “B” letter grade for the third year running.
But for the first time in many years, each school received two letter grades — one state and one federal — and it’s causing some confusion. Because federal and state scores are calculated using different formulas, some schools received two different scores.
It’s unclear for how long districts will receive dual grades.
The Indiana Department of Education performance grades are based on student growth. At the elementary level, ISTEP scores — how students fare on the exam and whether they’ve demonstrated growth from the year prior — are used to calculate the rankings. At the high school level, the department looks at a variety of factors, including the graduation rate and how students perform on advanced placement exams.
The federal law — put in place by the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act — takes into account factors such as attendance and English-language learning, and also requires certain low-performing schools to be marked as either needing targeted or comprehensive support, according to The Associated Press.
See Thursday’s edition of the Daily Reporter for a full story.
Find your child’s school, here:
State grades
“A” schools:
Saint Michael School
Brandywine Elementary School
New Palestine Elementary School
New Palestine High School
Doe Creek Middle School
Maxwell Intermediate School
Eden Elementary School
J.B. Stephens Elementary School
Weston Elementary School
Mt. Vernon High School
McCordsville Elementary School
Eastern Hancock Middle School
Eastern Hancock High School
Eastern Hancock Elementary School
“B” schools:
Sugar Creek Elementary School
Greenfield Intermediate School
Greenfield-Central High School
Harris Elementary School
Fortville Elementary School
Mt. Vernon Middle School
Mt. Comfort Elementary School
Geist Montessori Academy
“C” schools:
Greenfield Central Junior High School
Federal grades
“A” schools:
Eden Elementary School
Mt. Vernon High School
McCordsville Elementary School
Eastern Hancock High School
“B” schools:
Brandywine Elementary School
New Palestine Elementary School
New Palestine High School
Doe Creek Middle School
Sugar Creek Elementary School
Maxwell Intermediate School
J.B. Stephens Elementary School
Greenfield Intermediate School
Greenfield-Central High School
Harris Elementary School
Weston Elementary School
Fortville Elementary School
Mt. Vernon Middle School
Mt. Comfort Elementary School
Eastern Hancock Middle School
Eastern Hancock Elementary School
Geist Montessori Academy
“C” schools:
Greenfield Central Junior High School
Source: Indiana Department of Education.
Note: Saint Michael School in Greenfield did not receive a federal grade; Zion Lutheran School in New Palestine was not listed in the accountability summaries from the state.