TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Education released its annual school district report cards on Thursday, offering insight into the quality of education locally and state-wide.
In previous years, school districts received a letter rating on a scale of A-F, similar to a student report card. This year, ODE scored schools out of five stars, with five being the highest. During the previous two years, ODE did not provide overall reports because of complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Critics argue the ratings aren't reflective of students' actual performance because they are based exclusively on testing, which is only one component of the educational experience. Additionally, some say the new rating system complicates yearly comparative analysis because of absent or inconsistent data.
But ODE officials said the yearly report card is important to the future of Ohio education.
"The more we understand the needs of students through the Ohio School Report Card results and other data, the better we can personalize education, focus instruction and tailor enrichment programs to accelerate and enhance learning," Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Stephanie Siddens said in a press release.
ODE stressed that the report cards are only a part of the story. In the same press release, the department encourages "communities, including parents caregivers, business and philanthropy, to learn what's happening in their local schools" because it can "provide a more complete picture of students' educational experiences."
Each district is scored on two components: achievement and progress. Three other components were also considered, including gap closing, graduation and early literacy, but criteria was not provided for those scales.
Achievement measures how well students performed on state tests throughout the year in a variety of subjects in grades 3 through high school. Thresholds of maximum points earned in academic performance determine how many stars a district receives. According to the ODE guide to the 2022 report card, the achievement component measures "which students are performing well" and "which are not;" in which subjects are students excelling; and more.
The progress component measures the changes in achievement schools see from year-to-year. "More simply put," the 2022 guide reads, "academic growth is measured by looking at the current achievement compared to prior achievement results on Ohio's State Tests."
According to the ODE, "gap closing" measures reduction in the educational gap for student subgroups, graduation measures the four-year and five-year graduation rate and early literacy measures reading proficiency in K-3 grades.
The rankings have important qualitative descriptions. For both components, the number of stars awarded have descriptions that are crucial to understanding the rankings. They are as follows:
Achievement component
Five stars: District significantly exceeds state standards
Four stars: Exceeds state standards
Three stars: Meets state standards
Two stars: Needs support to meet standards
One star: Needs significant support to meet standards
Progress component
Five stars: Significant evidence the district exceeded student growth expectations by a large magnitude
Four stars: Significant evidence the district exceeded student growth expectations
Three stars: Evidence the district met student growth expectations
Two stars: Significant evidence the district fell short of student growth expectations
One star: Significant evidence the district fell short of student growth expectations by a larger magnitude
Here are the report cards for the 10 WTOL Big 11 school districts located in Ohio:
Anthony Wayne
Achievement component: 5 stars
Progress component: 1 star
Gap closing: 4 stars
Graduation: 5 stars
Early literacy: 5 stars
Average: 4 stars
Bowling Green
Achievement component: 3 stars
Progress component: 4 stars
Gap closing: 5 stars
Graduation: 4 stars
Early literacy: 2 stars
Average: 3.6 stars
Findlay
Achievement component: 3 stars
Progress component: 2 stars
Gap closing: 4 stars
Graduation: 4 stars
Early literacy: 2 stars
Average: 3 stars
Maumee
Achievement component: 4 stars
Progress component: 5 stars
Gap closing: 5 stars
Graduation: 5 stars
Early literacy: 2 stars
Average: 4.2 stars
Oregon
Achievement component: 3 stars
Progress component: 2 stars
Gap closing: 3 stars
Graduation: 3 stars
Early literacy: 3 stars
Average: 2.8 stars
Perrysburg
Achievement component: 5 stars
Progress component: 5 stars
Gap closing: 5 stars
Graduation: 5 stars
Early literacy: 3 stars
Average: 4.6 stars
Springfield
Achievement component: 3 stars
Progress component: 4 stars
Gap closing: 5 stars
Graduation: 3 stars
Early literacy: 2 stars
Average: 3.4 stars
Sylvania
Achievement component: 4 stars
Progress component: 5 stars
Gap closing: 5 stars
Graduation: 4 stars
Early literacy: 3 stars
Average: 4.2 stars
Toledo Public
Achievement component: 2 stars
Progress component: 4 stars
Gap closing: 3 stars
Graduation: 1 star
Early literacy: 1 star
Average: 2.2 stars
Washington Local
Achievement component: 2 stars
Progress component: 2 stars
Gap closing: 3 stars
Graduation: 2 stars
Early literacy: 1 stars
Average: 2 stars
Average from all listed schools: 3.4 stars
You can search for your school district's performance by clicking here.
State of Ohio stats rundown
Across the state of Ohio, data indicated that students of all economic, racial, ethnic and linguistic groups and abilities improved scores in English Language Arts and mathematics from the 2020-21 school year to the 2021-2022 school year.
Additionally, 72.2% of districts saw a performance index increase of three points or more. Four-year graduation rates are steady from 2020, hovering at 87.2%.
At the school-level, 30.5% received 1 star in early literacy, while 42.2% of Ohio schools claimed 5 stars in gap closing.
You can view more state-wide statistics here.
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