Improving ACT scores please superintendent

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When he took over as superintendent of Kemper County Schools in January of 2020, Hilute Hudson had a list of things the felt needed to be addressed.

Among those, was improving the overall student body’s success in taking the ACT test. Better scores lead to more scholarship opportunities for those wishing to go on to college.

During last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Kemper County School Board he was able to share some remarkable progress intuit area. The two benchmarks who repeatedly pointed to were the number of students scoring better than 20 on the ACT and the fact that for the first time in five years they had a student score 25 on the standardized test. In fact here are two.

“One of the things we have done at the high school is that they have been intentional to exposing the kids to the ACT test,” Hudson said. “We have an ACT boot camp and an ACT test.” He also noted that more timed tests were being given, which is at the core of successfully navigation the ACT.

“It is only going to grow,” he said. “We are now working with eighth and ninth graders,” he said. “The more you practice and understand the material and how to take the test the better you can perform.”

According to high school principals Terry Rice and Jackie Jackson, KCHS now has 11 students in the 20 Plus Club and that the school had 40 students take the test in October. It was also noted that around 20 students were signed up for the exam in December.

“This is just an example of the good things that are happening at the high school,” Hudson said.

It was also noted that KCHS has 27 juniors and seniors taking 68 dual credit classes at East Mississippi Community College for a total of 204 credit hours.

The Early College Pilot Program, which will have qualified and interested students actually going to the Scooba campus of EMCC to take classes alongside traditional college students, is set to begin in January with 22 current students already signed up to participate.

In other action during Thursday’s meeting, the Kemper County Board of Education:

— Adopted the agenda. (All action was passed with a unanimous 5-0 vote)

— Approved the minutes of the Sept. 17, Oct. 14, and Oct. 29 board minutes.

— Approved fixed asset deletion list.

— Accepted retirement letter of Willie Roberts, maintenance and grounds worker.

— Accepted resignation letters of Glenda Jenkins, teacher’s assistant at Kemper County Lower Elementary; Kabria McClendon, teacher’s assistant at KCLE; and Charles Coleman, school resource officer.

— Approved revises substitute teacher list.

— Approved of SFS-Code of conduct/protest procedures for procurement plan.

— Approved KCSD toy drive;

— Approved school bus turnarounds.

— Tabled school board members evaluation until January.

— Heard a presentation from Ryan Bourrage of Entegrity on how to make the school properties more entry efficient. No action was taken.

— Approved hiring of Janet Boyd in the position of secretary.

— Approved teachers Brendell Allen, Shalanda Hathorne, Victoria Moore, and Gail Powell, as well as substitutes Ann Adams, Jacqueline Thomas, Christina Briggs, Theresa Savell, Tasmein Dixon, Suzanne Dean, Roshanda Nash, Ashley Maxwell, and Rosie Little, as after school tutors for Kemper County Upper Elementary.

— Approved salary increase for Samantha Johnson of the John C Stennis Vocational Complex and transportation director Douglas Newton.

— Approved jot title change and salary increase for Tammy Johnson who is moving from bookkeeper to secretary/bookkeeper at KCUE.

— Approved a contract in the amount of $51,395 to install a rubber floor int hold gymnasium locate in the main high school building.

— Approved Claims Docket

— Approved monthly financial report

— Went into executive session for personnel matters.






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