Posted: 7:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2014

Bad winter has ‘ripple effect’ on state report cards

Districts across Ohio will now get 2013-14 report cards in September.

By Hannah Poturalski

Staff Writer

A new school year is starting soon, but the usual release of Ohio Report Cards for school districts won’t happen until September.

The report cards — typically released in August — detail achievement scores, growth in student learning and graduation rates, among other items, from the previous school year.

The 2013-14 state report cards are now anticipated to be released in mid-September, said Marianne Mottley, assistant director of accountability at the Ohio Department of Education.

“ODE granted districts an extension to the (spring) testing window this year because of the extreme weather conditions that caused so many districts to be closed for extended periods of time,” Mottley said. “This testing extension has a ripple effect on all of the processes that we do and districts do to prepare for the report cards.”

Greg Young, superintendent of Ross Local Schools, said he finds the delay in the release of the state report cards “disappointing.”

“It’s inconvenient when trying to assess how we did last year,” Young said. “On staff opening day, we talk about report card results, things that look good and things that need improvement.”

Young said it was already pushing the start of the school year to have the state report cards released in mid-August. He said now the school year will already be a month in before the data is formally released.

While the state hasn’t identified a date yet for the release of report card data, districts across Ohio have been able to access raw test scores — along with performance index, annual measurable objectives and graduation rates — this summer through a secure data center online, said John Charlton, spokesman for ODE.

“(Districts) can get a heads up of what the results are before the public release,” Young said. “It’s not the whole report card yet, but we know the achievement scores.”

Young said he anticipates similar scores from last year for the Ross district. He said all grade levels reached at least a 90 percent passage rate on the standardized tests, expect for one subject area in one grade that hit 85 percent.

Mottley said a change coming to the report card data this year is an increase in the minimum passage rate for districts to meet indicators for test scores in grades 3-8 and 10. Previously, districts needed 75 percent of students to pass the tests; the minimum rate is now 80 percent.

“We live in an era of ongoing increasing accountability and rise in the percentage to meet indicators that will impact all across the state,” said Keith Millard, assistant superintendent of instruction for Hamilton City Schools.

Based on preliminary data made available to districts, Millard said he believes Hamilton will hit all-time high scores in six areas and the district’s second-highest scores for an additional four measures.

“We’ve been able to work on building beginning-of-the-year strategies based on that data,” Millard said, but added everything is tentative until officially released by the state.

Sam Ison, superintendent of Middletown City Schools, said his district has been using the raw scores to “guesstimate” its own report card grades. Ison said he doesn’t expect much change in the letter grades for Middletown on the 2013-14 report card despite some improvement in test scores.

“We’ve seen growth but we’re not hitting the marks mandated by the state,” Ison said. “As long as we continue to see growth, I’m optimistic.”

Kay Glancy, of Middletown, a mother to three students at Amanda Elementary School, said she’s paid more attention to state report card data in recent years. She has a son entering fifth grade and twin girls in fourth grade.

“It’s very important; it shows you improvements each school is making,” Glancy said. “It shows the strides each school is making to improve teaching and quality.”

The 2013-14 report card will not include an overall letter grade for districts, or letter grades for the six components — Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 literacy and Prepared for Success.

Mottley said districts will get letter grades for 10 measures: indicators met; performance index; four-year graduation rate; five-year graduation rate; annual measurable objectives; value-added overall; value-added for gifted students; value-added for lowest 20 percent; value-added for students with disabilities; and a new measure of K-3 literacy.

 

Superintendent Sam Ison recognized the district still has much work do, but he’s heartened by the fact that the district did improve in some areas.City Schools met fewer standards this year than last year. Last year’s card showed them meeting eight; this year’s only three. i guess if you are heartened by that fact you have to be plum crazy!!

There is no argument here. The data is in front of you. The levy supporters can offer flak if they wish, but the numbers are undeniable. Same old record with the repetitive skip. Again, a bottom feeder of a school system.......for how many years now? New schools. Multiple levy approvals.....what has it gotten us so far levy supporters? Nada. Why aren't we starving the inept beast until they start performing? Why are we sitting on our hands and not DEMANDING better results or the money tap will be shut off. More money isn't the answer. New schools and a more modern "learning environment" isn't the answer. Perhaps the answer is to try new ways of instruction. New curriculum changes.....anything but repeating more of the same, time-proven, failed methods of relaying information to the students.

Dead last in standards met. (wow, only three of 24, after all these years?) Haven't seen a 90% on Performance Index, mired in the 80 percentiles for years. Sharing last place with Hamilton on 4-year grad rates. An "F" grade on "Annual Measurable Objectives grade".......BUT, as Ms. Andrew always points out, an "A" on "Overall Value Added grade". Now, as it has been explained by your school board members, this "A" on "value-added" trumps all of the other categories. IE, we only recognized and advertise to the public, what is good, and we ignore, or consider as non-important, what has been poor for many years. We, the taxpaying "supporters" of this school system, apparently aren't suppose to acknowledge the poor score columns but only focus on the "value-added" column. (must be because it is the only one that relates to a positive result) Not a great deception plan at all school folks. Like city hall, the school board must think we taxpayer's are not able to analyze data. Incredible lack of insight as to reading the public's abilities to know what is transpiring. Both the school board and city hall are playing us for fools.....and, incredibly, so far, it is working. Mercy.

Hmm. Dead silence from our friends on the school board and our levy supporters.

Could it be that there is no defense to be offered against the indefensible as the graph shows the sad state of affairs? Or, do they not see the truth concerning the lack of progress for this school district?

The charade all along has been that significant improvement can be achieved in this district of poverty, single parents, grandparent caretakers, and goal setting that ends with a six pack or a bong.

The microscopic improvement of recent years was sold to us as proof that better days were coming-- the new buildings, the feel good tenure of Rasmussen (and departure of Price), the new teaching methods were surely going to be a trampoline to getting Middletown into the "Effective" category followed by much deserved pats on the back.

The culprits-- fat-n-happy union teachers, idealistic "it takes a village" board members, the common core proponents, the court system that refuses to allow proper discipline in schools as well as the parents/guardians who would cry fowl even if they did, have fostered a rancid stew of low expectations, excuses, and no accountability.

It is now clear that this district is out of ideas and out of excuses.....That the good soldier Ms. Andrew has fought the good fight and gone down with the ship....That Ison is just another Super who sees retirement in the distance and is padding the heck out of the pension payout.

But with 2 construction levies passed, it doesn't really matter does it? After all, we now think we are keeping up with the Jones's by having shiny new buildings and a spiffy Barnitz Stadium. Other areas will certainly respect us now, right? Parents working with realtors will certainly look twice at possibly moving here, right? Like a twice divorced lonely guy/gal sitting at the bar with a drink and a smoke, the desperation and lack of esteem is palpable.

Between the pro-school crowd and the downtown cheerleaders, I'm not sure which wins the battle of delusion and denial. In either case, it's just sad to watch.

Ok, substantiated evidence from the Journal.....

Middletown superintendent: ‘We are making progress’

MIDDLETOWN —
The Middletown City Schools superintendent said he understands why some residents want the district to make improvements faster, but urges patience.

PATIENCE??? IT'S BEEN OVER A DECADE MR. ISON. WE ARE OUT OF PATIENCE. THE YEARS OF EXCUSES ARE COMPOUNDING ON THEMSELVES.

The Ohio School Report Cards that were released Friday showed Middletown City Schools met fewer standards this year than last year. Last year’s card showed the district meeting eight; this year’s three. Superintendent Sam Ison said residents should remember the state is using different, more difficult, standard this year.

AND??? ADAPT....OVERCOME.....ADJUST TO THE NEW SYSTEM. NO TIME FOR EXCUSES. CONSTANT CHANGE IS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE BUSINESS/WORK ENVIRONMENT NOWADAYS. IT'S TIME YOU SCHOOL PEOPLE LIVED WITH THEM AS WE MUST DO IN OUR LINE OF WORK.

Instead of focusing on one aspect of the record card — where Middletown received an F on standards met — Ison said residents should look at the entire report card, the same way they may view their child’s report record. He said the district’s graduation rate increased from 79 percent to 84 percent and it received an A for valued-added for the second straight year.

TOLD YOU THAT THE SCHOOL PEOPLE WOULD PULL THE "VALUE ADDED" CARD FROM THE DECK OF FLAK AND DECEIT.

Middletown’s valued-added score, which rates the progress the same group of students makes from the first day of class to the last, is something to be proud of, Ison said.

MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF ISON, BUT IT DOESN'T TRUMP ALL THE OTHER POOR RATINGS ON THIS DATA CHART. YOU TOLD US TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL REPORT CARD, NOT JUST THE VALUE ADDED IN YOUR STATEMENT ABOVE. DIDN'T YOU? TELL US ONE THING....TURN AROUND AND DO ANOTHER. WHY?

“That’s really comparing apples to apples,” he said. “Where our kids start and where they end, that’s growth. That means our students are making progress. We are making progress here.”

HOW TWISTED IS THIS STATEMENT. IF YOU BURY THE REAL DATA IN DELUSIONAL CONFUSION, YOU CAN MAKE BANKRUPTCY SEEM WORTHWHILE AND A GOOD THING.

He said improvements will take time, maybe several years in some cases. Still, he understands the district must increase its scores.

IT'S ALREADY TAKEN MORE THAN "YEARS" ISON. WE ARE NO LONGER COUNTING YEARS. WE ARE COUNTING DECADES.

“This is something that we don’t take lightly,” he said. “We are always looking to improve. We are never satisfied.”

NOT SATISFIED? SURE YOU ARE OR YOU WOULD BE MAKING REAL CHANGES THAT PRODUCED ACTUAL NUMERICAL UPWARD TRENDS. BUSINESS AS USUAL SUITS YOU JUST FINE. SAME WITH YOUR PREDECESSORS.

The report card system includes grades and data from the 2013-14 school year for all schools and districts, including community schools, via Ohio’s interactive report card site, reportcard.education.ohio.gov. Ohio schools no longer receive a single label such as “Excellent” or “Continuous Improvement.” The state instituted a “letter-grade” system last year that charts grades in nine categories and sub-categories.

Overall school building and district grades will not be calculated until 2016

system response is very symptomatic with a major flaw in today's society:

everything not as expected is someone else's fault
"they" changed the rating system, making it more difficult

glad that we did get an A in an important area, though it might only show how far down we have been.

We have the schools--we have a new teachers contract to retain the best--we have the board and admin

rapid improvement is honestly the only acceptable result
excuses are simply excuses
no more talk

hopefully we can pull it off

and--no, Bill--I have no idea what that chart means, other than our #s are lower than those of everyone else

•“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrada