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Kindergarten Readiness Scores Soar

photo of kindergarten students
Bramlett Elementary kindergarten students focus on their teacher’s instruction during a lesson. (Photo credit: Bruce Newman)

Oxford, Mississippi (June 14, 2022) — Oxford School District reports the largest gains in kindergarten readiness in the early learning collaborative among all schools in Lafayette County. Bramlett Elementary pre-k students began the 2021-2022 school year with only 20% of the students performing at or above the projected kindergarten readiness MKAS score of 498. By the spring, that number grew to 82% of Bramlett Pre-K students meeting the target for kindergarten readiness.

MKAS Scores for LOU ELC sites for 2021-2022

There is only a spring benchmark score for Pre-K students, which is a scale score of 498. Students in the LOU ELC are expected to have a minimum scale score of 498 or a gain of 98 scale score points.

Site Fall 2021 Spring 2022
At/Above 498 Average Scale Score At/Above 498 Average Scale Score
LOU ELC 19.0% 422 71.4% 597
BES 20.2% 423 81.8% 649
LES 10.9% 409 72.9% 546
MCHS 7.8% 395 21.7% 461
WPLS 42.4% 474 71.9% 544

Director of the Early Learning Collaborative, Tamara Hillmer, provided the spring progress report at the OSD Board of Trustees meeting in May where the collaborative and Bramlett's PreK teachers were recognized. “Not only did we meet expectations, our students with the support of our teachers far exceeded expectations. The average spring scale score for our pre-k was 649, an increase of 226 scale score points — ranking first among all sites in the Early Learning Collaborative, said Chief Academic Officer, Marni Herrington. 

“These scores further reinforce our vision to grow our pre-k program. We believe the younger we can begin educating students, the more success we will see,” said Herrington.

About the Early Learning Collaborative

The Oxford School District is part of a community partnership with the Lafayette County School District, the City of Oxford, and Lafayette County to impact the reading success of all children in Lafayette County. The partnership focuses on the key areas of school readiness, school attendance, summer learning, and children’s health to increase student reading proficiency rates in our community. 

The community partnership supports and works through a local coalition of the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading known as Lafayette-Oxford-University Reads (L.O.U. Reads). L.O.U. Reads is comprised of any local community member or agency interested in helping our children read at grade level by the third grade.

Heather Lenard