Three McCurtain County school districts are now accredited with a warning

Three McCurtain County school districts, Forest Grove, Glover and Holly Creek, will carry an “accredited with warning” status this school year. They were among 67 districts listed on the Oklahoma State Board of Education’s Oct. 22 agenda to move down from “accredited with deficiency.” The board approved the changes that day, Oklahoma Voice reported.

Why

A district moves to warning status when it is cited for the same deficiency two school years in a row, the state Education Department’s accreditation office told the board, McCurtain County Local News reported. This is the first year that student test scores count toward accreditation. Under the new rule, a district is cited when more than half of its students score “below basic” on state reading or math tests two years in a row, Oklahoma Voice reported. Statewide, 59 of the 67 districts were flagged at least partly for academics.

Forest Grove and Glover were cited under the academic proficiency standard in both of the last two reviews, according to state charts summarized by McCurtain County Local News. Holly Creek was one of eight districts statewide downgraded for repeated deficiencies that have nothing to do with test scores, the site reported.

What it means

Warning is one step above probation. Districts flagged for test scores that don’t improve by 5% could fall to probation, which brings added state oversight, Oklahoma Voice reported. Other southeast Oklahoma districts on the list include Hugo and Boswell in Choctaw County.

Meeting materials are on the State Board of Education page. Parents with questions can contact their district office.