McCreary County school leaders reported divergent academic trends during the board meeting, saying McCreary Central High School recorded substantial gains while the middle school’s overall indicator slipped into the state’s bottom 10 percent.

Charlotte Barnett, introduced to the board as the presenter of the 2025–26 annual report, said McCreary Central was designated a "green school" and had moved "from the bottom third of the state into the top third." Barnett cited specific test-score gains: "19% in reading," with scores reported to have risen from 55.7 to 66.2, and a 26% increase in math, from 44.2 to 55.9. She credited corrective-reading strategies, GEAR UP tutors and targeted interventions for the improvement.

But a second presenter who reported on the middle school cautioned that the district’s gains were uneven. "The middle school is at the bottom 10% of the state right now," the presenter said, noting declines in the combined reading-and-math indicator and lower scores across science and social studies. The presenter gave four-year comparisons showing declines in several subject-area indicators and flagged subgroup outcomes: students with disabilities showed elevated novice-level rates.

Administrators described concrete steps to reverse the middle-school slide. The middle-school team plans to strengthen tier-1 instruction, rebuild its multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) processes, implement a new cell-phone policy to reduce distractions, restructure electives after the Christmas break and expand schoolwide sustained reading. The presenter said the school’s immediate goal is to move the overall indicator from 44.8 to 64 in the coming year and that MAP assessment data will be used to monitor progress.

Officials also highlighted career and technical education as a district success. Barnett said the district’s CTE programming placed it in the top 5% of state schools for postsecondary readiness; CTE scores rose from 111 to 114.5, and staff said they are pushing for a 120 score this year. The district reported about 286 students in dual-enrollment or dual-diploma pathways; officials plan the first dual-diploma ceremony to award graduating students simultaneous high-school diplomas and associate degrees in coordination with the University of the Cumberlands.

Board members and staff acknowledged the mixed results and emphasized monitoring: one board member said recent changes introduced by Doctor Taylor would be tracked to see whether they yield sustained growth. The board set a special meeting for Jan. 6 and a regular meeting for Jan. 27, 2025, to continue oversight.

Votes at a glance: the board moved to adjourn at the end of the meeting and members recorded "Aye" during roll call; the meeting was adjourned.