Did schools make the grade?

Ohio School Report Cards released; many area schools show improvement

Although Lake County school districts did not receive all outstanding or even passing grades on the Ohio School Report Cards, many showed improvement from last year.

The Ohio Department of Education released the annual assessment on Sept. 14.

Districts and schools were graded on six components for the 2016-17 school year, including achievement, gap closing, K-3 literacy, progress, graduation rate and prepared for success.

Painesville Schools saw growth in multiple areas on the state report card.

The district previously received an “F” in achievement and K-3 literacy, but increased those grades to a “C” in K-3 literacy a “D” in achievement.

Heidi Fyffe, who is Painesville Schools director of state and federal programs, attributes the district’s success to the literacy development program that was implemented four years ago.

“We went up in every area in reading,” she said. “That’s huge to us. We know that our programs are in place now and

Districts and schools were graded on six components for the 2016-17 school year, including achievement, gap closing, K-3 literacy, progress, graduation rate and prepared for success.

we’re moving in the right direction. We’re showing growth across our entire district.”

Painesville Schools also continues to see slight increases in graduation for the fourth consecutive year.

“Although not huge steps, we’re continuing to make progress,” she said. “I know they break all these areas up in components, we look at ours as a whole. We put a lot of time and effort into poverty, we put a lot of time into our (English Language Learner) program because we have to. We are addressing issues and investing our time and a little bit off money into it too, making sure everyone is prepared to be successful.”

Similarly, Riverside Schools K-3 literacy grade improved from an “F” to a “C”.

Other districts had fairly steady results.

Mentor Schools improved its gap closing and maintained outstanding scores in progress and graduation rates.

“We are pleased with the overall progress and growth shown by our students in some important areas of the State Report Card, such as value added,” said interim Superintendent William Porter. “However, there are other areas where we have room for improvement and we will focus to work on those initiatives to make gains for this year and into the future.

“Our team of dedicated educators remains committed to providing a wellrounded, high-quality education for the children of our community.”

Kirtland and Perry school districts received “A’s” for graduation rates, but average grades in achievement and prepared for success categories. Madison, Wickliffe, and Willoughby-Eastlake schools had substandard grades in achievement, gap closing and preparedness for success, yet great graduation rates.

Although there were no new measures on the 20162017 report cards, as a way to highlight the many successes and achievements of Ohio’s school districts, the Ohio Department of Education provided districts an opportunity to add a link to a webpage of content that describes their unique qualities and successes, according to the news release.

“In a highly competitive, quickly changing, global economy where employers’ expectations are higher than ever, our students must be equipped with the knowledge and skills that will make them lifelong learners,” said Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public instruction.

“With that in mind, there are many ways that parents and communities gauge the success and improvement of their schools and districts — the annual report card is one of them.

“Having set high expectations for what our students must know and be able to do, our children and schools are stepping up to the challenge. We’re seeing increases in achievement across the state. I continue to be impressed with the dedication of Ohio’s educators and our students’ desire to learn more and more.”

The Ohio School Report Cards give a snapshot of students’ academic performance and growth as measured by state tests.

To search all 2016-2017 Ohio School Report Cards, visit reportcard.education.ohio.gov.