Ohio Department of Education issues school report cards

For the second year in a row, Fredericktown Local Schools earned a “B” overall at the district level and “B” grades for each building. This year brought higher grades in elementary achievement (“B”), high school gap closing (“A”) and prepared for success (“D”). The gap closing grade for the middle school dropped to a “B.” The district as a whole received “A”s in the progress, gap closing and graduation components along with “C”s in achievement and improving at-risk K-3 readers.

“Overall, we have much to be proud of as we are showing growth in student achievement and progress,” said Superintendent Susan Hayward. “While the report card does not tell our whole story, it does reflect the academic achievement and progress of our students. I look forward to working with our principals and staff to further analyze the district report card and plan goals for the continuous improvement of student academic success and individual progress.”

The Mount Vernon City School District maintained the overall “C” it earned last year, although five of the district’s six elementary schools had an overall “B.” Pleasant Street Elementary stayed steady with a “C.” Wiggin Street dropped from an “A” overall to a “B” overall due to its “C” in the improving at-risk K-3 readers component. Schools are only evaluated in this category if at least 5 percent of the kindergarten class is reading below typical grade levels. Last year, Wiggin Street was not evaluated.

The middle and high school both saw overall improvement, with overall scores of “C.” The district excelled in gap closing, where every school except the high school earned an “A” or “B.” The middle school gap closing score rose from a “D” to a “B.” The high school improved its progress score from a “D” to a “C,” but its scores in achievement (“D”), gap closing (“D”), graduation (“B”) and prepared for success (“D”) were the same as last year’s.

“I think the thing we were most pleased with was our gap closing score,” said Superintendent Bill Seder. “Student growth is really important... We’re seeing that across the board, so that’s an exciting piece.”

Centerburg Local Schools kept its overall “C.” At Centerburg Elementary, metrics fell by one letter grade in every category except improving at-risk K-3 readers, which rose from a “C” to a “B.” The elementary earned a “C” overall, down from its overall “B” last year.

Elementary Principal John Morgan cautioned that the report card, which is based largely on students’ performance on state assessment tests, doesn’t tell the whole story.

“It provides a picture that is in the ball park but doesn't necessarily account for the other factors that can impact student performance,” Morgan wrote in an email to the News. “I don't believe that how (students) did on some state test in elementary school will have anything to do with where they end up as an adult. Having good character traits and a good work ethic will.”

Centerburg Middle School was consistent with an overall “B” thanks to a “C” in achievement, “B” in progress and “A” in gap closing. The high school improved its overall score from a “C” to a “B,” thanks to a jump to a “D” from an “F” in the prepared for success component.

High School Principal Ryan Gallwitz stated that the district has seen progress that’s not reflected in state report cards.

“Our three year trend data, specifically item analysis data, shows improvement in many areas, although we have yet to reach the achievement standard in a few content areas,” he said. “Our report card is not perfect. We certainly are not satisfied with many of the grades/scores and are working every day to improve them.”

Nevertheless, he added that he’s proud of the hard work put in by Centerburg students and staff.

Danville Local Schools was the only district to raise its overall score, a “C” on this year’s report card. Last year, all three schools earned “D”s overall. This year, the elementary and middle school both averaged a “B” grade while the high school earned a “C.” The elementary school saw improved grades in every category, but the greatest trend district-wide was a dramatic uptick in the gap closing category. All three buildings earned “A”s, up from “F”s at the elementary and middle school and a “C” at the high school.

“I am very pleased and proud of the progress we have made on this report card,” said Superintendent Jason Snively. “At the same time, we are not satisfied with the overall results. The staff is working extremely hard to continue to understand the expectations that (the ODE) has for us and our students.”

East Knox saw improvement at the primary level, raising its scores in gap closing and improving at-risk readers to bump the elementary school’s overall score to a “B.” Scores for the junior high and high school were less favorable, with an “F” in gap closing (the school earned a “B” in the category last year) and “F” in prepared for success. The school increased its progress score from an “F” to a “D” and earned a “D” overall.

Superintendent Steve Larcomb acknowledged that the district will look at certain pieces of the report card for areas of improvement, but called the report card a “minor tool” that doesn’t reflect other positive signs of growth.

“We consider significant increases in staff retention rates as a healthy indicator of our schools' environment,” Larcomb said in an email to the News. “One additional item that we look at is whether or not we're meeting our students' needs within the constraints of our annual budget. Thanks to the board's and administration's diligence in combination with voters’ support, the district has finished with a positive balance of revenue versus expenditures in each of the last six years in a row.”

Larcomb also mentioned a bump in enrollment and the addition of a school resource officer and full-time social worker at the junior high and high school as evidence that the district is headed in the right direction.

The North Fork Local School District earned a second consecutive “D” overall. Although both elementary schools rose a letter grade, with a “C” for Newton and “B” for Utica, Utica Middle School saw its overall grade drop from a “C” to an “F.” The middle school’s gap closing standard fell from a “B” to an “F.”

“Our district and building reports are not where we want them to be,” said Superintendent Scott Hartley. “We believe we can do better and are working on areas that are the weakest parts. For us those are math and English language arts.”

The district did see improvement in some areas. Newton Elementary gained a letter grade in every category, while Utica Elementary earned an “A” in progress. At the high school, scores for both gap closing and prepared for success rose from “F” to “D.”

Hartley said that report cards “pigeon hole” students without taking extenuating circumstances into account.

“A good example is we have students who forgo their graduation to take advantage of the Project SEARCH program for an additional year,” said Hartley. “Because they didn’t graduate in the four years we get rated lower. However, these students are learning valuable workforce development skills with school support.”

Nevertheless, Hartley hopes the scores will help guide the district toward improvement. The district has already had professional development sessions focused on using data to enhance instruction.

“We have already begun the analysis of data through using our data map program, curriculum reviews, and professional development with staff,” he said. “Data plays a major role in determining where growth can be achieved and understanding that data is something we will continue to focus our staff toward.”