Hancock County School District cites statewide cut-score changes as main driver of small score drops; district readies new targets for 2025–26

Hancock County School District officials told the board Friday that changes in statewide score scaling and newly restored cut scores — not solely local instructional failure — were the primary driver of year‑over‑year declines in several schools’ 2024–25 accountability results.

Kim, a district administrator who led the presentation, said the vendor change and reversion to an earlier scale made the results arrive earlier and appear lower than the prior year. "What happened is you saw across the state," Kim said, adding later, "we're on top of the wave. We're not underneath it." The district presentation showed that most schools lost a few proficiency points while Hancock North Central held steady.

Why it matters: the state’s scoring shifts changed the threshold for earning A and B ratings. Under the new 2025–26 cut scores, elementary and middle schools will need roughly 15 more points to remain an A, and high schools and districts will face similar increases. For high schools, U.S. history has been removed as a separate 50‑point measure and its weight reallocated; a new "achievement" square awards points tied to diploma endorsements (distinguished, academic, career/CTE, JROTC, traditional). The district said the change will make acceleration and diploma-type outcomes a new lever for points.

District data and context - The presentation compared 2023–24 and 2024–25 results and noted a statewide drop in the number of A schools (294 to 239). Kim explained that a different scaling vendor (DRC for…