The Ohio Department of Education released its school district report cards this past week. Ohio issues annual report cards for every public district and school, based on student academic performance and growth as measured by the state tests each spring. The district report card is the way the Department of Education provides families, educators and the community with the information they need to understand how the students in their schools are performing.
Our school district has some work to do. Despite much hard work by students and teachers, Greenville City Schools fared much as they have in the recent past, meeting the state standard on only one state test –Fourth Grade Social Studies. However, the school district is making progress. Students scored an average of 6 percentage points higher in reading over last year, and mathematics proficiency scores were above the state average for most grade levels. The K-3 literacy grade, which measures how well our teachers are teaching struggling students how to read, rose from a D to a C with more students reading on grade-level.
At the high school, the number of students who took College Credit Plus courses increased from 58 students (12.5% of students) to 79 students (17.9% of students), and the high school’s graduation rate was over 90% (the state average is 83%).
It should be mentioned that Ohio is only in the second year of providing a consistent test for measuring student’s growth after changing the education standards. It takes time for a school system to adjust, but Greenville is making the adjustments and students are showing progress. For this school year, the district adopted a new reading curriculum for grades K-5, has continued our 1:1 initiative by providing iPads to all students in grades K-6, and has implemented several digital learning programs such as the TenMarks math program to help support student achievement.
While the information supplied by the Department of Education is important to make improvements in Greenville City Schools, it is equally important to remember that no single piece of the report card tells the whole story about what positive things are happening in Greenville City Schools. Greenville students have received national recognition for its Career Tech programs; our bands, choirs, and orchestras provide an opportunity for students rarely found in other schools; the annual Waves of Pride exhibition showcases the outstanding arts education our students are receiving.
Greenville City Schools are grateful for having a community and parents who value education. Valuing education means making school attendance a priority. Attendance is one of the single most important factors in students being successful. Working together, teachers, administrators and parents can ensure that our children have the best education experience possible.