CCR-I Reports Academic Gains, With Reading Still A Focus

Crawford County R-I administrators brought a year-end academic snapshot to the Board of Education on June 18, showing progress in several areas across Bourbon Elementary, Middle and High School, while also pointing to reading as an area where the district still wants stronger results.

The clearest gains came at the elementary level, where Bourbon Elementary reported math proficiency increased from 52 percent at the start of the year to 76 percent by year’s end. The report credited a new curriculum and online tools for helping students make progress in mathematics. 

The elementary report also showed positive early literacy results among the district’s youngest students. According to the report, 83 percent of kindergarten and first-grade students were over the on-level threshold in early literacy skills by the end of the year. 

Reading, however, remains a more complicated picture.

Bourbon Elementary reported progress on reading assessments, but said the results were still “not to the desired result.” The report said the school plans to keep its focus on improving literacy through stronger Tier 1 instruction, which refers to the core classroom instruction all students receive before additional interventions are added. 

Elementary staff members also attended MTSS and PBIS conferences this summer, and the school is working with MTSS consultants to plan more building-specific professional development. The goal, according to the report, is to give teachers more support while continuing to refine how the school responds when students need extra help. 

At Bourbon Middle School, the academic update leaned heavily on IXL data, with reports from fifth through eighth grade showing growth in math and English language arts.

The fifth-grade report showed growth from the beginning of the year to the end, with administrators noting that most fifth graders improved and that ELA was “particularly strong.” Sixth grade showed balanced growth across both subjects, with the report describing math as a “total team win” because of progress across the class. 

Seventh grade posted one of the more specific data points in the report. Students averaged a 110-point jump in math and a 65-point gain in ELA, though the report noted that ELA growth was more mixed across the grade level. 

Eighth grade showed a split result. Math scores improved by an average of 87 points, while ELA dipped by about 40 points. The middle school report also said STAR data for fifth through eighth grade showed an overall boost from fall to spring, with more students moving into higher performance tiers. 

At Bourbon High School, administrators reported continued use of IXL and STAR assessments to track student progress in ELA and math. The high school report said every student took benchmark assessments in both subjects, with the data used to help identify learning gaps and adjust instruction to individual needs. 

The high school report also highlighted senior Piper Sykes, who received the Hagan Scholarship. The national merit-based scholarship is designed to help students graduate from college debt-free and can provide up to $7,500 per semester for up to eight semesters, along with additional money for college essentials and workshops focused on life skills. 

Bourbon High School graduated 61 students on May 21.

The high school also reported improvement in attendance. BHS finished the year with 92.52 percent attendance, a 5 percent increase from the previous school year. The report credited the work of Mrs. Redhage and the attendance committee, while setting a goal of 95 percent attendance for the 2026-27 school year. 

Administrators also pointed to curriculum and instructional coaching work that will continue into next year. 

Instructional coaches also worked with teachers on lesson planning, observations and modeling, and completed end-of-year assessments that will be used for reflection heading into the 2026-27 school year.