• BY J.R. ORTEGA - JRORTEGA@VICAD.COM
• Originally published July 31, 2009 at 6:06 p.m., updated July 31, 2009 at 10:35 p.m.

PORT LAVACA - Calhoun County has two exemplary schools, and the district is rated as recognized by the state.

Four of the district other schools are recognized and another is academically acceptable.

Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills rated Calhoun High School as recognized for the first time.

Last year the high school was academically acceptable.

"It's a tribute to the teachers and the staff. They've been very close before," said Larry Nichols, superintendent of schools. "They've done very well in many things."

Harrison-Jefferson-Madison Elementary was recognized in 2008 and is now exemplary.

Jackson-Roosevelt Elementary and Seadrift School went from exemplary in 2008 to recognized this year.

Point Comfort Elementary remained recognized and Port O'Connor Elementary remained exemplary. Travis Middle School remained academically acceptable.

"There is a threshold," he said. "You can be 89.2 and next you're 90.3, and one year you're recognized and then one year you're not."

Some drops at Point Comfort Elementary can be attributed to small class sizes. The third through fifth grades is comprised of 32 students. Thirty-one students took the reading test, but only 26 met the standard. In math, 25 of the 32 who took the test met the standards. And in writing, only taken by the fourth grade, the state did not disclose how many took because the number is too small.

"Those academics probably were related to very few students in one particular grade," he said.

Although the schools teach toward the TAKS, Nichols said, they also want overall success for their students.

"We want to have our students succeed and be well-rounded, and the TAKS test is one measure of achievement," he said. "We understand its importance, but it's certainly not the only measure."

Both mathematics and reading were up for the high school, and language arts and social studies dropped only a few points.

"I think we have a very good academic system, where we monitor what is taught," he said.

Nichols, who has been superintendent for nine years, said he is proud of the school district's accomplishments.

"We help kids succeed, and it's pretty evident in those scores," he said.

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