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School results improve on state’s report card

Officials say better data helps identify, address problem areas sooner.

2011 State Report Card by School Building

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By Margo Rutledge Kissell, Staff Writer Updated 7:56 AM Thursday, August 25, 2011

Across the Miami Valley, nearly one-quarter of schools improved their grades on the 2010-11 state report cards, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis of the data.

Of the 225 schools reviewed in the four-county area of Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Warren counties, 23 percent of the schools jumped at least one level, while nearly 65 percent stayed the same. Another 12 percent slipped.

All but Greene County saw more schools improve than drop, an analysis of the Ohio Department of Education data found.

See how schools in your area rated

Ohio students continue to show steady improvement in their academic performance, but will face higher expectations in the future as standards increase, State Superintendent Stan Heffner said Wednesday after the ODE released the annual report cards.

Throughout the Miami Valley, districts large and small point to student performance data as playing a key role in helping school officials know where to focus to improve on the 26 state indicators.

Districts can zero in on performance by building, grade, subject, even individual students.

Kettering City Schools Superintendent Jim Schoenlein, whose district slipped from “Excellent with Distinction” to “Excellent,” said they sort through the data to locate their strengths and weaknesses..

They’ve already set a goal of trying to improve the ratings of two schools, Oakview and Greenmont elementary schools, which were rated “Effective,” the equivalent of a B grade.

Southdale Elementary School, which last year merged with Moraine Meadows Elementary School, was the only Kettering school to achieve an “Excellent with Distinction” rating, while the others were rated “Excellent.”

Principals at all 11 Kettering schools will meet with their teachers next Thursday night to pour over the data together to see where they need to improve.

Schoenlein said the report card is the standard by which schools are judged. “People don’t really want to know the details, they just want to know your rating. In order to maintain credibility with your community that you are doing a good job you’ve got to score well.”

Data also is making a difference in the Dayton Public Schools, which jumped two levels from “Academic Watch” to “Continuous Improvement.” Twelve of 28 rated district schools improved their rating, while one — Edison PreK-8 School — dropped, according to the state data.

Last year, 13 of the district’s schools were in “Academic Emergency.” Now, five are in that lowest category.

Wright Brothers PreK-8 at Grant jumped from “Academic Emergency” to “Continuous Improvement.”

Principal Shawna Welch, an educator for 21 years, said data has made a huge difference for districts striving to hit or surpass state indicators.

“It was all kind of hit-and-miss in the dark 21 years ago. You fed everyone the same kind of message or instruction and hoped they got it,” she said. “With this data, it really focuses our instruction and we know exactly where kids are deficit and we can try to fill those gaps.”

Heffner said Ohio students will face higher expectations in coming years as learning standards increase.

“We want to build on the strong academic progress we are making as we move to a more rigorous set of standards that will better prepare Ohio graduates to be college or career ready,” Heffner said.

The Ohio Board of Education last year adopted the Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics, as well as the revisions to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards in science and social studies. The standards will take effect in 2014-2015, when new online assessments will be implemented.

Statewide, the percentage of students scoring proficient on state tests increased on 21 of 26 indicators, with the strongest gains in third-grade math, eighth-grade math and 10th-grade writing.

Overall, students met the state goal on 17 out of 26 indicators — one less than last year. The statewide average for all students’ test scores, known as the Performance Index, jumped 1.7 points to 95, the biggest gain since 2004-2005.

An analysis of the 609 school districts in Ohio shows that nearly 58 percent received an “Excellent” or “Excellent with Distinction” — the equivalent of an A or A-plus. That’s a 10 percent gain over last year with the number of districts increasing from 296 to 352.

More than half of the schools in the state are now rated “Excellent” or “Excellent with Distinction.”

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