Brown County Schools’ report card is in.

The district as a whole has received a B for the third year in a row.

Brown County Intermediate School was the only school to receive an A from the Indiana Department of Education. No school received a grade lower than a C.

This year, each school actually received two letter grades: One from the state and one from the federal government.

Among the federal accountability grades, no school in Brown County received an A. But the state grade is what will be used to measure schools.

It is a state rule that accountability grades be used in teacher evaluations. Those evaluations determine whether or not they receive bonuses.

Superintendent Laura Hammack discussed the letter grades with her administrative team of principals. The district isn’t spending a lot of time or energy on them, she said.

“We noticed our grades. We digested that information. There’s not one principal sitting around that table that is not happy unless they have an A,” she said.

“Their energies are focused, instead of worrying about the grade, on how we can best respond to ILEARN, because that’s the predominant factor in how these grades are calculated.”

For most Brown County students, last spring was the last time they will take ISTEP test. Students in Grades 3 through 8 will take a new assessment, ILEARN, at the end of this school year.

ILEARN is an “adaptive test,” meaning it responds to the learner. If a student answers a question correctly, the next question will be more difficult. But if they answer incorrectly, the following question will be either at the same level or easier.

For students in Grades 3 through 8, state accountability grades are based on how many students passed the ISTEP+ test last spring and how those students have grown academically on that test.

For 10th grader, the same factors are considered, plus the high school’s graduation rate and the school’s college and career readiness indicator score. That score comes from the number of students who have passed an AP exam and the number of dual college credits and industry certifications that are obtained in the school.

Attendance also factors into accountability grades, which is a concern to the district, Hammack said.

“That’s really a component we have no control over,” she said. “… We recognized we’ve got to make a great school day for kids to want to come to school. We have a sincere responsibility in that.”

Overall, Brown County received three Bs, two Cs and one A on its report card from the state. The federal government gave the district four Bs and two Cs.

“We were very proud of BCIS,” Hammack said of the district’s only A.

The school was established in 2013 by taking the fifth and sixth grades out of Sprunica, Helmsburg and Van Buren elementary schools and housing them under one roof in Nashville.

BCIS Principal Trent Austin said the credit goes to his students and teachers.

“We’re just going to continue to find ways of improving and continue doing a really good job for our kids. … We’re excited. One thing is, we don’t get too high and we don’t get too low. … This year it’s an A, and as soon as you think you have arrived, then the next year it’s not an A.”

Last year, BCIS was at a B with 89.5. This year, its grade was 90.5, officially making it an “A” school.

“What I am most proud of is that over the course of the last five years we’ve either been an A or a strong B+. What I’m really happy about is consistency and continuing to adapt and to work really hard to try to adapt instruction so that it’s based upon the students in the classroom to get them what they need to do their best,” Austin said.

Austin said he has to give his “seasoned veteran group” of teachers in his building credit. Some of them have been teaching for more than a decade in Brown County. “They are very good at what they do. It definitely shows for us to be an A and B over the course of five years,” he said.

Last year, Brown County Junior High School was given an A on its report card after being given a C the year before. This year, its grade is a B.

“We obviously don’t want to have a really bad grade, but there’s just so many factors that go into those grades,” said Principal Brian Garman. “We certainly value the feedback from ISTEP and find it important, but there’s also a lot of other things that we find value in as well. It’s kind of one of the pieces of the puzzle. We’re happy that our grade was a good solid grade.”

Garman said his school finds value in many things that are not measured in “a short window of testing.” Those include the school’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program that helps student build character and communication skills, and students’ ability to think critically and problem-solve.

”Some of those things are kind of hard to measure, but those are things we also very much value here — the growth of our kids intellectually and socially,” Garman said.

Van Buren Elementary School received a C this year. Last year, it received an A. What held the school back this year was a lack of “growth” on the ISTEP test, said Principal Gavin Steele.

On the spring 2017 ISTEP, 36.6 percent of Van Buren third-graders passed both the math and English tests. In 2018, that number was 46.2 percent.

In 2017, 75 percent of fourth-graders passed both tests. That number was 36.4 percent for 2018.

“Even students who didn’t pass, we need them to grow just as much. It’s no longer, ‘Well, we had 6 out of 10 kids pass and that’s what our score is.’ It’s ‘Those four kids who didn’t pass, how much growth did they show as well?’” Steele said.

“It’s really narrowing it down to looking at that individual student data a little closer.”

This requires creating an individual pathway for each student in Van Buren Elementary School.

“Accelerated kids are being pushed to accelerated levels, and students who need additional help, we are providing opportunities to meet them with what they need as well,” Steele said.

“We’re not set in a way where we’re not flexible or able to change. When things come up and we keep getting more information, opportunities, then we take advantage of it.”

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State-issued grades:

Brown County High School: C

Brown County Junior High School: B

Brown County Intermediate School: A

Helmsburg Elementary School: B

Sprunica Elementary School: C

Van Buren Elementary School: C

Brown County Schools: B

Federal-issued grades:

Brown County High School: C

Brown County Junior High School: B

Brown County Intermediate School: B

Helmsburg Elementary School: B

Sprunica Elementary School: B

Van Buren Elementary School: C

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