Dallas County School Superintendent Wayne K. May is pleased that the system as a whole received a clear rating from the state Department of Education. But he’s not satisfied.

Eight out of the 12 county schools received a clear status across the board. The rest were placed on watch.

The results are based on the combined scores of the Stanford Achievement Test, the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing, the Graduation Exam and alternative assistance for special education.

Priority status was given to the system’s special education program.

May pointed out that the majority of the school systems across the state also received a priority for special education.

Keith High School was the only one to make the grade with a large number of students passing the Graduation Exam. Dallas County High was one student shy of receiving a clear status, while Southside lagged behind by only two students.

Along with the test scores, the Department of Education further divided the school results into four different subgroups: race/ethnicity, students who receive free or reduced price lunches, students in special education, and those with limited English-speaking skills.

May said he is still analyzing the data of each county school subgroup to see how they stack up against other schools across the state.

Four county schools &045;&045; Five Points Elementary, Tipton Junior High, Salem Elementary, and Southside Elementary &045;&045; received watch status.

This status represents that the majority score was in the 30th to 39th percentile. The national average

is in the 50th percentile.

The schools with a clear status include Brantley Junior High, Bruce K. Craig Elementary, J.E. Terry Elementary, Shiloh Elementary, Valley Grande Elementary, Keith Middle School, William R. Martin Middle School, and Keith High School.