Hughes Springs’ pre-kindergarten is Pre-K Center of Excellence

By Marlene J. Bohr
mbohr@steelcountrybee.com

Hughes Springs Elementary pre-kindergarten has been recognized by the Texas Education Agency as being a Pre-K Center of Excellence.  This distinction is given to schools that prepare children for success in kindergarten by participating in the Kindergarten Readiness System.
The KRS is the state’s school readiness certification system authorized by Technology in Early Childhood that evaluates the effectiveness of prekindergarten, Head Start, and licensed child care programs in preparing children for kindergarten.  This review covers the 2010-11 Hughes Springs school year and was generated as a result of the school’s participation in the Prekindergarten Early Start Grant or the Texas School Ready! Program. Hughes Springs Elementary School was awarded certification under the program because the average Pre-K Impact Index was positive. The “Pre-K Impact Index” is the measurement that demonstrates students’ performance on their kindergarten reading assessment administered by their elementary school at the beginning of the child’s 2011 kindergarten year.  
In determining the impact a preschool has on improving student learning, the method adjusts for factors that are outside the control of the PreK program, such as student population characteristics or the specific literacy instrument used in kindergarten. In short, when a Pre-Kindergarten program’s students perform better than expected, then the facility has demonstrated a positive impact and qualifies for the Texas Education Agency’s “PreK Center of Excellence” designation.
There are two classes of Pre-Kindergarten at Hughes Springs Elementary School with 22 students each. These classes were taught by Kim Morris, and there is a morning and an afternoon class, according to Principal Theresa Jennings. 
“We have a dual program with Head Start,” Mrs. Jennings said. “We swap kids at noon. The students are in school half of the day and half of the day they spend at Head Start. The students were tested in the fall of 2011 when they went into kindergarten.”
Superintendent Rick Ogden said he is proud of the elementary school.
“Kim Morris was the teacher, and she did a good job,” Mr. Ogden said. “I am proud of our teaching staff and elementary school for this honor. This is a really a big honor as not many schools achieve this.”