By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Despite test assessment scores below state averages at Victoria High School, the teaching staff said they are putting in considerable effort to address and improve the situation.
Victoria Superintendent Kimberly Woolf, alongside various students and school staff, addressed issues pertaining to the Kansas State Department of Education report card, highlighting the academic performance of students at Victoria Junior-Senior High during an interview on Nov. 9.
This was following a story published by the Hays Post on Nov. 4 that outlined Victoria state test scores that fell below state averages. Woolf did not respond to Hays Post attempts to reach her for comment before the Nov. 4 story was published.
RELATED STORY: Victoria High falls short of state test score averages; junior high fares better
At the superintendent's request, she included Elementary Principal Deena Clark and Interventionist Erin Braun.
Woolf said she recognizes the low academic performance between ninth and 12th grade, attributing the schools' assessment results to insufficient resources.
“At the time when I got here, we didn’t have any English curriculum at the high school,” Woolf said. “The same for math. We had a teacher that brought a curriculum that she used in another school district so we were piggybacking off of that, but we realized that our scores are not where they're supposed to be.”
Additionally, Woolf said the on-hand textbooks for social studies are outdated, resulting in instructors pulling material from online.
The number of teachers in the community is limited as several instructors have left Victoria High in recent years — a story that the staff said is familiar across the state.
Braun said the student-to-teacher ratio is not well balanced in the school as fewer people are pursuing a career in education.
"We have a lot fewer people going into teacher prep programs while we have a gaining need and a declining supply, which is a huge problem," Braun said.
Multiple faculty members are said to have a variety of roles due to the small school size, Woolf said.
Upon becoming the superintendent in 2021, Woolf, along with Clark, prioritized the curriculum followed by growing their school faculty to include more teachers.
The State Department of Education measures student assessments for math, English and science across four levels for all of Kansas.
Level one stipulates that a student possesses limited ability to understand and utilize the skills necessary for success after graduation. Level two represents a basic understanding. Level three signifies an effective understanding, and level four indicates an excellent comprehension of the subject, according to the Kansas Department of Education.
Woolf, Clark and Braun underscored the significance of small class sizes at Victoria High, where 120 students are enrolled from ninth to 12th grades, according to the State Department of Education.
In the 2022-2023 school year for math, 52.63 percent of students between ninth and 12th grade fell under having limited ability to understand. According to the test scores, 36.84 percent of students have a basic understanding, 10.52 percent show an effective ability to understand, and .01 percent demonstrate an excellent understanding of math.
“The middle of the two category or above is on grade level,” Woolf said.
For more information on performance level reports at Victoria High in math, English and science, as well as information on the measurement methods employed, click here.
Woolf, Clark and Braun also delved into the enrollment at Victoria and across the state, highlighting a significant shift and decline when comparing the periods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The faculty said the class size of the 2022-2023 school year consisted of 19 students, emphasizing the impact a single student's performance can have on reported percentages.
The Kansas Department of Education considers postsecondary success based on a student meeting one of four criteria within two years of high school graduation.
• Earned an approved certification during high school
• Attained a postsecondary certificate
• Obtained a postsecondary degree
• Enrolled in postsecondary education in both the first and second years after high school graduation
The graduation rate average across five years is 95 percent and the average success rate is 61 percent between 2017 and 2021.
Woolf, Clark and Braun said they thought the chosen measurement for recording the success rate was not a fair representation of student performance.
Braun said her son is in the Navy but wouldn't be considered successful by the standards of the State Department of Education.
“Kansas would consider my son not successful because he's in his sixth year in the Navy and now a second-class petty officer,” Braun said. “He’s in a supervisory in his shop and has multiple certificates.”
Clark’s son graduated in Kansas and is currently a doctor in physical therapy and working in sports medicine but doesn’t meet any of these requirements.
“He is not considered two years successful because they didn't track out of state, and he was in college on a full-ride scholarship,” Clark said.
Woolf said from 2021 to 2023, 57 percent of students opt for a two or four-year college, 32.33 percent choose a trade school, 1.67 percent enlist in the military and 9.3 percent directly enter the workforce.
"Our community is focused on helping kids graduate with the skills they need by increasing the opportunities available at Victoria USD 432," Woolf said.
For more information on postsecondary and graduation data at Victoria High, as well as information on the measurement methods employed, click here.
Students at Victoria High discussed the challenges they face in class like comprehension, focusing and motivation. However, there has been a noticeable improvement in recent times following the introduction of a no-phone policy, the students said.
Student Sienna Schmeidler said in-class engagement has increased between now and last year, crediting the new phone policy as a contributing factor.
"You can comprehend something better without having that distraction or that need to pick up your phone and look at the time," she said.
Expanding on that, student Brody Nowak said he now dedicates more time in class to staying focused rather than scrolling through social media.
"There's a lot more connection with teachers," he said, "but if we were to have our phones, we would have been using that time to scroll through TikTok or answering Snapchats."
The no-phone policy carries over to the lunchroom as the district recently applied for a grant for coloring books and board games.
"It's very engaging for us to be there and looking at each other rather than texting something to each other," Schmeidler said.
Student Quincy Pickering credited English and speech instructor Meritt Hammeke, as a captivating and efficient tutor at the high school.
"Right off the bat he was open with us, laughing and joking, and it just set the tone for the rest of the year," Pickering said. "He wasn't scared to teach, and he wasn't scared to be open."
Nowak highlights the advantage of being in a close-knit community, providing a freeway for instructors to get in touch with parents if needed.
"Your teachers know pretty much everybody's parents so if you're struggling, they could shoot your parents an e-mail and say, 'Hey, so and so isn't doing too well,'" he said. "You wouldn't be able to find that in a big school."
Additionally, members of the community, including teachers, parents and alumni were previously invited to engage in conversations regarding student performance both in school and postgraduation.
Woolf said the school's vision is centered on leading, achieving and succeeding to uplift Victoria as a whole.
"We want our students to achieve on those tests and post secondarily to go forward and do great things before ultimately coming back to Victoria and having that same impact on kids in the community," Woolf said.
Student Kennidy Amrein said having caring teachers encourages her to do better in class so in return, instructors can have a sense of accomplishment.
"When you have a relationship with them, then you just feel better to see that they're doing a good job," Amrein said.
Students demonstrate excellence in areas beyond the academic classroom, such as projects and community engagement, Woolf said.
Amrein and Nowak are two members of the Family Career and Community Leaders of America chapter at Victoria High, which organizes a variety of community events.
The two are currently preparing for a Students Taking Action and Recognition event, where they will showcase a presentation on mental health among students.
The Students Taking Action and Recognition events are held at the district level, and students can progress to state and national in a competitive environment. The program tests their proficiency, leadership skills and career preparation through projects.
Schmeidler and her group earned fifth place last year at the National FCCLA Convention for her interior design, which included her customizing a studio office environment intended to help students succeed.
Woolf said the school uses a hands-on initiative to help students become successful after graduation.
"To keep kids engaged in school, we want them to be doing things that they enjoy doing and one of the programs that's been really successful is our vinyl graphics program," she said.
Items created within the initiative include accessories, clothing, stickers, blankets and banners for both the school and community businesses.
In addition, the high school includes interventionist teachers dedicated to assisting students with specific issues in the classroom before reintegrating them with their peers.
The district has recently been awarded a $150,000 grant that is intended to support the certification of teachers in additional subjects and provides incentives to paraprofessionals to stay in the field of education.
"Whether our test scores currently show it or not, I know that our little 1A school district has the courage and power to blow next year's state assessment scores out of the water," Woolf said.