MOUNT VERNON – Knox County’s six school districts received report cards from the Ohio Department of Education for the 2018-19 school year on Thursday. Four districts kept their same overall grade from last year, while one improved. One district received an overall grade from the state for the first time.
Danville improved from a “D” overall rating in 2018 to a “C” this year. Fredericktown (“B”), Centerburg (“C”), Mount Vernon (“C”) and East Knox (“D”) all kept their same grades from 2018. The Knox County Career Center earned a “B” rating in the state’s first year handing out overall grades to career-technical planning districts.
Statewide, 106 school districts improved their overall grades from last year, according to an ODE press release. Nearly 80 percent of Ohio’s school district’s received a “C” or higher, and almost 33 percent received a “B” or higher. Only 31 districts received an “A” mark, with the closest to Knox County being Granville Exempted Village Schools, Olentangy Local Schools and New Albany-Plain Local Schools.
When looking specifically at career-technical planning districts, nearly 85 percent received an overall grade of “B” or higher. Only 10 of the state’s 89 districts received an “A” mark.
The Ohio Department of Education files report cards each year to track district progress and identify areas of improvement, according to standards set forth by the state. K-12 school districts’ overall grades are calculated using results from six measurement components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers, Graduation Rate and Prepared for Success.
Career-technical planning districts’ overall grades are determined using results from four measurements components: Achievement, Graduation Rate, Career and Postsecondary Readiness and Post-Program Outcomes.
For more information on what these components entail, scroll to the bottom of this story.
Centerburg Local Schools receives ‘C’ grade
Achievement: C
Progress: C
Gap Closing: B
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: B
Graduation Rate: A
Prepared for Success: D
Click here for full report.
Superintendent Mike Hebenthal said the district is “not content” with its “C” rating, and he had some strong words concerning the standards set forth by the state.
“We’ll keep working on it,” he said in an email Thursday, “but our focus is the students and their needs, not a letter grade.”
Centerburg boasted a 96-percent graduation rate in 2018, one of the highest locally. The district also scored well in the category “Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers,” which looks at how successful districts are at getting struggling readers on track to proficiency in third grade and beyond.
However, the district scored poorly in the categories of “Achievement” and “Progress,” which deal largely with state test results, as well as “Prepared for Success,” which includes students’ test scores on college entrance exams, among other factors.
When asked how indicative Hebenthal thinks the state’s report card is of his district’s overall growth, he responded with a hypothetical.
“I’ll leave you with a question I ask all politicians I can and have yet to have one answer me,” he said. “If the School Board of Centerburg created a policy that stated Centerburg would have no more homework, quizzes, tests or projects throughout the year and would give one three-hour test in April or May (before we could cover all content), and that would be the final grade assigned to the students for the year, would you agree with that?
“That is how we judge a school and staff worth. The only answer I got was from a person at the Ohio Department of Education who said ‘It’s all we got.’ So no, I do not think it is an accurate measure of our students and staff.”
Danville Local Schools earns ‘C’ rating
Achievement: D
Progress: C
Gap Closing: B
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: B
Graduation Rate: A
Prepared for Success: D
Click here for full report.
After improving from a “D” overall grade in 2018, superintendent Jason Snively said he is “very pleased and proud of the progress we have made on this report card.”
All three of Danville’s schools went from an “F” to an “A” in the “Gap Closing” component, which tracks how well schools are meeting performance expectations for their most vulnerable students. Danville also saw grade boosts in several other components, such as “Progress” and “Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers.”
The school district’s graduation rate remained at A-level, as nearly 95 percent of Danville’s 2019 class graduated in four years.
At the same time, Snively said the district is “not satisfied with the overall results” of the state report card. The district scored “D” ratings on “Achievement” and “Prepared for Success,” which deal with state testing and college prep/work experience scoring, respectively.
“The staff is working extremely hard to continue to understand the expectations that ODE has for us and our students,” he said. “We have a lot of different things going on in the district right now that we believe will eventually get us to the point of being recognized as an ‘A’ district and at the same time prepare our students for careers and college.”
Like Hebenthal, Snively does not believe the state report card represents the whole picture when it comes to district – and student – success.
“I don’t think the district report card shows a clear picture of the hard work and dedication that is going on in each building,” Snively said. “That is why I believe the building level reports are more indicative of the efforts being made by the staff. Progress and Gap Closing are two of the most important indicators to move forward, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that a student graduates. An ‘A’ on that component (which we have a good history of) shows that we are doing what is best for our students.”
East Knox Local Schools collects ‘D’ grade
Achievement: D
Progress: D
Gap Closing: F
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: C
Graduation Rate: C
Prepared for Success: F
Click here for full report.
East Knox earned a “D” rating for the second straight year, but superintendent Steve Larcomb seemed confident Thursday about the district’s current direction.
“We are proud of our students’ growth and the work our staff performs in partnership with our students, parents and guardians,” Larcomb said in an email. “We’ll likely never be completely satisfied with the report card results which is why, in part, we continue to see East Knox move in a sustained, positive direction throughout the district.”
East Knox received an “F” grade in “Gap Closing” and “Prepared for Success,” which concern how well schools are meeting performance expectations for their most vulnerable students and how well they are preparing students for post-graduate opportunities, respectively. The district also struggled in “Achievement” and “Progress,” which are tied to state testing results.
Larcomb, a longtime superintendent, said he is skeptical of the report card’s overall worth in evaluating a district’s growth.
“I have to question the motives behind a state report card, as I have every year that I’ve been in education,” he said. “It is simply a minor tool in what we look at when considering the overall health of our school district. A couple of the pieces from that document that we will look at in greater detail is how our Performance Index ranks compared to similar districts, as well as comparisons to the state overall.”
Larcomb noted that, despite its low state grade, East Knox Local Schools has seen “positive growth signs” in recent years. The district hired a school resource officer and a full-time social worker at the junior/senior high school last year, and Larcomb said both have been positive additions.
The district has also seen “significant increases in staff retention rates” in recent years, Larcomb said, and enrollment increased by 12 students this year. The district has finished with a positive financial balance each of the last six years, the superintendent added.
Larcomb said these are some of the items the district looks at “when examining the overall health of our organization as we work to care for, educate and prepare our students as they eventually transition into adulthood as productive members of our society.”
Fredericktown Local Schools earns ‘B’ grade
Achievement: C
Progress: A
Gap Closing: A
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: C
Graduation Rate: A
Prepared for Success: D
Click here for full report.
Fredericktown proved once again to be Knox County’s highest-performing K-12 district on the state report card, as it garnered its second consecutive “B” rating.
Susan Hayward, the district’s new superintendent, noted Thursday that “this is our second year of having the second highest Performance Index, while having the second lowest spending per pupil in Knox, Licking, and Morrow counties.”
Fredericktown received an “A” in three measurement categories: “Progress,” “Gap Closing” and “Graduation Rate.” This means that, by ODE standards, the district improved on state testing, provided effective instruction for its most vulnerable students, and showed a high graduation rate (last year, nearly 99 percent of Fredericktown’s graduating class earned a degree in four years).
“I applaud our staff for their continued work in the teaching and learning of our students,” Hayward said.
Despite her district’s success, Hayward added that the state’s annual report card is not a tell-all for district progress.
“While the report card does not tell our whole story, it does reflect the academic achievement and progress of our students,” she said. “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 district struggled in the “Prepared for Success” category this year, which looks at how well districts are preparing students for post-graduate opportunities. However, this year’s “D” grade was an improvement from last year, when Fredericktown received an “F” in the category. Hayward said the district will be looking for this kind of improvement across the board again next year.
“Overall, we have much to be proud of as we are showing growth in student achievement and progress,” she said.
Mount Vernon City Schools collects ‘C’ rating
Achievement: C
Progress: D
Gap Closing: A
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: D
Graduation Rate: B
Prepared for Success: D
Click here for full report.
Mount Vernon earned a “C” rating for the second straight year. The district earned an “A” in “Gap Closing,” which measures how well districts are meeting performance expectations for their most vulnerable students. It also earned a “B” for “Graduation Rate,” as 89 percent of the Class of 2019 graduated within four years.
However, the district received three “D” ratings – in “Progress,” which examines state test results; “Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers,” which looks at how successful districts are at getting struggling readers on track to proficiency in third grade and beyond; and “Prepared for Success,” which concerns how well districts are preparing students for post-graduate opportunities.
Superintendent Bill Seder said Mount Vernon City Schools looks at more than just the state report card when determining its progress. He noted that the overall district grade is “comprised of ten measures and six components which is incredibly difficult to explain, let alone understand.” The district received an overall “C” rating, he said, although five of its six elementary buildings were given a “B.”
“While we realize that the state report card is an imperfect measure of the work we are doing, we do take the time to evaluate the data carefully celebrating our success and and digging deeper into areas of improvement,” Seder said in an email.
While the state report card places an emphasis on state testing, Seder said his district has shifted its focus elsewhere.
“We have placed a greater emphasis on the growth of each student across the district and less of an emphasis on grade/subject tested indicators,” Seder said. “When we look at the ‘Big Picture’ in terms of district progress, there are so many other measures that we will utilize.
“One test, on one given day, in one subject, with inflated proficiency targets is not a true measure of a district’s effectiveness. It is important that we teach to the ‘whole child,’ providing opportunities for each student to realize their fullest potential.”
Knox County Career Center receives ‘B’ grade
Achievement: C
Career & Post-Secondary Readiness: D
Graduation Rate: A
Post-Program Outcomes: A
Click here for full report.
The Knox County Career Center received a “B” grade this year, following a change in the way the state measures success for career-technical planning districts.
Superintendent Kathy Greenich said the state has introduced “an expanded college and career readiness measure, a change in the academic performance measure, and a new overall grade” to this year’s report card. She said the district is proud of its performance, “but we see room for improvement.”
The Career Center earned two “A” ratings – on “Graduation Rate” and “Post-Program Outcomes.” The district graduated 97 percent of last year’s class within four years, and almost 99 percent within five years. In addition, nearly 94 percent of the Career Center’s 2018 class earned employment, an apprenticeship opportunity, a job in the military, or enrollment in postsecondary education or advanced training within six months after leaving school.
Meanwhile, the district struggled in the “Career & Post-Secondary Readiness” category, where it received a “D,” as well as “Achievement,” where it received a “C.” “Career & Post-Secondary Readiness” analyzes how well prepared a district’s students are for future opportunities, based on their ability to complete advanced coursework and work-based service-learning opportunities.
“Achievement,” much like that for traditional K-12 districts, deals with the proportion of students passing technical assessments.
Greenich said Thursday that, given the recent change in state standards, the district will take time to evaluate this year’s report card and search for potential areas of improvement.
“We are diving into the categories and changes, comparing our data to the state’s data,” she said, “and we will focus on areas to celebrate, reinforce, and areas to improve.”
How the grades are determined
The Ohio Department of Education has handed out district report cards for years, but just introduced an “overall” grade for K-12 districts in 2018. According to the state’s website, this is calculated using results from six measurement components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers, Graduation Rate and Prepared for Success.
Here’s a general synopsis of what each metric represents:
Achievement: The number of students who passed state tests and how well they performed on them. This also factors in a ‘Performance Index’ component, which measures the achievement of each individual student. This rewards districts that improve the performance of highest- and lowest-performing students.
Progress: The growth of each individual student, regardless of learning level, based on past state test performances. This measures how students are growing by comparing past and present test results.
Gap Closing: How well schools are meeting performance expectations for their most vulnerable students in English language arts, math and graduation. This is meant to reinforce the importance of closing achievement gaps that exist between groups of students. These gaps may be based on income, race, ethnicity or disability.
Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers: How successful the district and school are at getting struggling readers on track to proficiency in third grade and beyond. It’s tied to Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee, which aims to make sure all students are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. This measure is based off of two tests given to K-3 students.
Graduation Rate: This takes two measures into account: the district’s four-year graduation rate and five-year graduation rate. 60 percent of the measurement is based off of four-year graduation rates, while 40 percent is tied to five-year graduation rates.
Prepared for Success: How well prepared a district’s students are for future opportunities. This measurement is based off of students’ scores on college entrance exams (ACT/SAT), Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate tests. It also factors in how many students obtain honors diplomas and industry-recognized credentials, and if they complete College Credit Plus courses.
The report card also analyzes the number of students in each district who are considered “gifted,” tracks improvement in chronic absenteeism, looks at how students perform on state test retakes, measures improvement in English language proficiency, and examines the financial status of each district.
For career-technical planning districts, the overall grade is calculated using results from four measurement components: Achievement, Graduation Rate, Career and Postsecondary Readiness and Post-Program Outcomes.
While the Graduation Rate metric is the same as what’s applied to K-12 school districts, the other three metrics are unique to career-technical planning districts.
Achievement: This measures a district’s Performance Index, as explained above, but it also factors in a Technical Skill Attainment Rate. This shows the proportion of students passing technical assessments.
Career and Postsecondary Readiness: Much like the above Prepared for Success measurement, this analyzes how well prepared a district’s students are for future opportunities. Districts are judged based on their students’ ability to complete advanced coursework and work-based service-learning opportunities.
Post-Program Outcomes: This represents the percentage of students who are employed, in apprenticeships, in the military, or enrolled in postsecondary education or advanced training within six months of leaving school.
For more information explaining these and other report card metrics, see the Ohio Department of Education’s 2019 Guide to Ohio School Report Cards.
