Guthrie Center’s School Improvement Advisory Committee released the credentialing results for students grades 7 through 11 last week, and the one area that stood out was the low number for employability.

On average, about 75% of 7th through 11th graders were fully credentialed in the specific subject areas of reading, language arts, math and science.  But, just 51% of those students were fully credentialed in the schools’ employability category.

Superintendent Steve Smith says the district hangs its hat on the importance of being at school, and students’ employability numbers won’t improve unless they cut down on absences.

“That’s one of the larger pieces in the employability where you get points, if you are at school and don’t miss more than 10 days during that school year.  So how we try to translate that is to get students and parents to realize that if this were your job–which we try to encourage kids to think in that manner–that if you’re gone all the time, there are consequences for that.”

Smith says he believes students’ employability credentialing results will improve in the coming years as the school continues to reiterate its importance.  He wants all families to realize that there is an emphasis placed on employability so that students are as ready as they can be for successful futures beyond high school.

Tune in to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County during the 9am, noon and 5 o’clock hours to hear our full conversation with Smith about the latest activity in the Guthrie Center School District.