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 2024–25) and a return to earlier cut scores caused scores to appear lower statewide. "So they moved it over to DRC for 24, 25…we expected the scores to be really late…they got them back so fast. Strange," Kim said. - District-level proficiency figures on the slide deck showed small declines: LA proficiency about 59% to 57%, math 71% to 69%, science 78% to 75. The largest district loss was in math LPS (lower-performing students) growth, which dropped substantially and accounted for much of the district point loss. - The district reported it is down roughly 41 students year-to-year and highlighted pockets of strong and weak performance across schools (for example, North Central made gains in LPS growth).

What the 2025–26 model changes mean - Cut scores: New statewide cut scores raise the point thresholds for letter grades (districts and high schools must gain additional points to hold previous ratings). - High-school model: U.S. history was removed from a standalone 50-point square and its weight moved into a new achievement category connected to diploma endorsements. Acceleration (AP/dual credit/industry certification) remains important; assessment measures were also altered (higher ACT/work‑keys/super‑score thresholds to earn full points). - College and career readiness: The district emphasized expanded supports (district-funded ACT for 10th graders, state ACT for 11th graders, free Jump Start test-prep pilot for 11th graders, and paid WorkKeys exams) to increase students’ readiness measures.

District response and next steps Superintendent Lam and academic leaders described targeted interventions already underway: K–2 benchmarking, teacher coaching, Kids First math and ELA coaches, and a district spreadsheet to monitor promising (previously called "LPS") students. The district will track the December benchmark return and present updated progress at the January meeting. Kim urged board members to view results in the statewide context rather than as a purely local decline.

Board reaction Board members pressed for clear plans at the school level, expressed concern about particular schools and grade bands, and asked for periodic status reports. One board member said, "We have to figure out. I mean, we started this like three years ago… We gotta change." Kim and the district said they will return with updated benchmark data and school action plans.

Provenance (selected transcript excerpts) "Our enrollment has increased from 872 last year to 910 this year…" — Dr. Melissa Sosa (ATSI update), transcript tc_start 00:33:12 "So what happened is you saw across the state…" — Kim (accountability presentation), transcript tc_start 01:07:51 "U.S. history is gone…they put it over here and put this new square…achievement." — Kim (accountability presentation), transcript tc_start 01:16:12

Topics and scoring: ["accountability"] justification: presentation centered on statewide cut-score changes and district impact; topic_relevance:0.95 depth_score:0.95 opinionatedness:0.05 controversy:0.60 civic_salience:0.95 impactfulness:0.90 geo_relevance:1.00

Speakers (attributions allowed in this article): [{"name":"Kim","role_title":"district administrator","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Hancock County School District","first_reference":{"timecode":"01:07:51","transcript_line_range":[3612,3677]}},{"name":"Superintendent Lam","role_title":"Superintendent","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Hancock County School District","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:53:20","transcript_line_range":[3231,3259]}},{"name":"Dr. Melissa Sosa","role_title":"ATSI lead","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Hancock County School District","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:33:12","transcript_line_range":[1992,2029]}}]

Authorities: []

Clarifying details: [{"category":"state cut scores","detail":"State restored earlier scale and cut scores for 2024–25, causing a statewide drop in measured proficiency","value":"not specified","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Kim"},{"category":"district enrollment change","detail":"District reported being down about 41 students compared with last year","value":41,"units":"students","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Superintendent Lam"},{"category":"work keys/ACT supports","detail":"District provided free ACT to 10th graders and paid WorkKeys; Jump Start pilot for 11th graders","value":"not specified","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Kim"}]

Searchable_tags:["accountability","assessment","cut_scores","Hancock County School District","ATSI","benchmarks"]