By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

Chilton County Schools has scored a 79, which correlates to the letter grade C, on the Alabama State Report Card for the 2017-2018 school year.

Overall scores on the report card were released Dec. 28 with specific category scores scheduled to be released by Dec. 31.

The state report card score is determined by scores in a number of categories including academic achievement, academic growth and chronic absenteeism.

At the high school level, graduation rates and college and career readiness scores are also considered as indicators.

The overall score for the school system is three points higher than the score for the 2016-2017 school year, which was a 76.

“We are pleased with the results, as we’ve seen improvement over the last few years,” Chilton County Schools Superintendent Jason Griffin said. “We know that we have room for more improvement, but we as a system are working hard to make that happen.”

Ashlie Harrison, director of Teaching and Learning for the Chilton County Schools, said the report card is all about improvement.

“The teachers and administrators in our district have worked extremely hard to make sure that our students are making academic growth yearly,” Harrison said.

Data released on Dec. 28 also gave the numerical and letter grade for each school.

Clanton Elementary and Clanton Intermediate had the highest overall scores, each receiving a 85/B.

CIS had been the highest scoring school in the district the previous year.

All other schools scored a B or a C.

“Whether a school receives a higher or lower letter grade, the release of the Alabama State Report Card represents an opportunity for schools, parents and community members to work together to help every school in the state succeed,” according to a Chilton County Schools press release. “The letter grade is a snapshot of the school and a conversation starter for communities. It is not about pointing fingers. It is intended to be a catalyst for discussion and improvement. Together, we will continue to identify ways we can provide our student with the best educational experience possible.”

Although information on how the school system scored in each of the indicator categories has not been released to the public, it has been released to school system administrators for review. The school system said some areas that need improvement are already addressed in the strategic plan.

After the Dec. 31 release, district and school level data for each indicator will be available here.

The 2016-2017 school year data can also be accessed at this site.

The Clanton Advertiser will provide an overview of the indicator data once it has been made public.

“We encourage parents and others to explore the new Alabama State Report Card, which provides multi-year, detailed information about our schools and allows you to compare our schools to others throughout the state using a wide range of measures,” school system administrators stated in a release.