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Five of Warren County's school districts are among the 74 statewide that earned the Ohio Department of Education's new "Excellent with Distinction" rating.

Mason, Kings, Lebanon, Wayne and Springboro all accomplished the feat, thanks to a new "value-added" measure designed to show academic growth of the same group of students from year-to-year, according to the ODE. Value-added is displayed on the state report cards as either exceeded, meeting or being below expected growth in reading and math for grades four through eight.

Franklin exceeded its growth expectations and was elevated to an Excellent rating, while Carlisle and Little Miami were rated Effective.

Kings Local Schools

Kings schools reached a new level of achievement this year. The school was designated as "Excellent with Distinction" for high student performance during the 2007-08 school year.

The district's designation was based upon the value-added measure through the No Child Left Behind Act. The measure tracks the academic growth from year to year, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

"This is a remarkable accomplishment for our district," said Superintendent Valarie Browning. "We realize that high levels of achievement require the support of our parents and our community, and we are fortunate to have that."

The district held an "Excellent" rating the past seven years.

Individually, each building in the district was rated "excellent," but Columbia Elementary School was designated as "Excellent with Distinction." Kings Junior High raised its school designation from last year's "Effective" rating.

The district also met 29 of 30 state requirements, missing only in eighth grade social studies, and improved its Performance Index Score from 103.7 to 105. Kings also met its AYP requirements.

Lebanon

For the sixth consecutive year, Lebanon schools have received the highest rating from the Ohio Department of Education, this year being tabbed as "Excellent with Distinction."

"I'm very proud," said Supt. Mark North. "Our students come to school ready, eager and willing to learn."

Lebanon met 29 of 30 indicators, missing the mark only in eighth grade social studies, which was tested for the first time in 2006-07. Lebanon did not meet the AYP requirement due solely to its reading scores for limited English proficient students. All other sub-groups passed both reading and math.

North was quick to credit the district staff and parents for their hard work and dedication to students' success.

"They do a great job," North said, commending teachers for working with building principals to develop specialized plans to help each student succeed.

North did, however, downplay the importance of the rating system, saying it is only one measurement in how a district is performing.

"(The rating) isn't everything," North said, adding that the district has a lot work to do in other areas to continue to make Lebanon a positive learning environment.

Mason City Schools

Students in Mason can be proud they're among the top five schools in the state — again. The district was ranked fourth in the state for a Performance Index Score of 108.8 for the 2007-08 school year.

Mason met each Adequate Yearly Progress requirement and earned the "Excellent with Distinction" rating by meeting value-added criteria.

"Meeting AYP continues to be challenging, especially since the bar continues to rise" said Superintendent Kevin Bright.

The district scored just one-tenth of a percentage point over Hamilton County's Indian Hill schools. Mason has more than four times the number of students and spends less money per pupil than the other top five performers.

"We're very proud of our results," Bright said. "Our staff continues to partner with our families to ensure that each Mason child is meeting our high expectations."

Little Miami

Little Miami failed to continue its run of Excellent ratings, falling just short of the 100 points needed in the performance index category and meeting only 26 of the 30 indicators.

"We are very disappointed with the results and know there is work to be done," Superintendent Dan Bennett said. "We will not be satisfied until every student is passing and graduating. We knew last year was going to be a challenging year as we awaited relief from overcrowded classrooms."

The district is experiencing enrollment growth of about 200-250 additional students each year. Last school year was a critical transition year for Little Miami, as it faced historical enrollment figures without additional space, according to spokesperson Lisa Knodel.

Little Miami did meet the AYP mark, but its performance index score fell by nearly one point from 100.6 to 99.7.

The district plans to implement an internal accountability system to identify what students should learn and what quality instruction looks like. The district piloted this strategy last year in eighth grade math classrooms, resulting in an increased score from 76.2 to 82.6 percent of students passing the test. They hope to have the similar success as they will try to improve their scores in fifth grade math and social studies and eighth grade science and social studies.

Wayne Local

Wayne Local met all 30 of the indicators for the second straight year on its way to being rated "Excellent with Distinction."

Wayne also met its AYP requirements and increases its performance index score from 102.8 to 103.4.

Wayne met or exceeded expected growth in mathematics for grades four through eight and was above expected levels for reading in grades four, six and eight.