SIDNEY — The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released its final grades for the 2014-15 school year Thursday and local superintendents are not taking the results too seriously.
“The report card data that was released by the state has very little relevance to our student performance,” Russia Superintendent Steven Rose said. “Last year we had approximately 11 percent of our students whose parents opted them out of state testing due to concerns about the PARCC consortium.”
Last year, the ODE administered exams through the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), an organization that prepared exams based on Common Core standards the state has adopted.
An outcry from parents, teachers and school administrators who believed the tests were too complex and time-consuming led Gov. John Kasich to eliminate funding to these exams as part of the state budget he signed in July.
The students who did not take the test last year received a zero on the district report cards.
“We had a large number of students who opted out of taking the tests and that really adversely effected our overall grades in a few areas on the report card,” Fort Loramie Superintendent Daniel Holland said.
“When considering that 11 percent of our students who traditionally perform very well on standardized testing received a zero on last year’s test it truly makes our district test scores irrelevant and not a reflection of the quality of education we are providing to our students,” Rose said.
Fairlawn Superintendent Steve Mascho agreed, “We are disappointed in certain individual grades that were assessed to our district on the state issued Local Report Card. However, like many other districts we are even more concerned that last year’s state testing data does not accurately reflect the progress of the students in our district as it has in the past.”
The testing process in general was difficult for many districts in Ohio.
“What some may not be aware of is that random students were knocked off of their tests several times within the testing window and oftentimes were not able to get back on the testing site to complete their tests for as long as 20 minutes. This was only the beginning of student frustration and, because of the overwhelming number of mandated seat hours that frustration led to a phenomenon now called student test fatigue,” Hardin-Houston Superintendent Larry Claypool said. “It was reported by school administers around the state that many students were so frustrated that they took their tests in five to 10 minutes just to get them done. Obviously not a true test of student’s knowledge or the teaching staff’s abilities that prepared them.”
The Sidney Daily News was directed by several districts to a press release about State Rep. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and Ohio Board of Education member A.J. Wagner calling to ignore the report cards, that they said hurts kids, communities and school districts.
The lawmakers contend that the PARCC tests, an estimated cost of $200 million, were not properly vetted, but in fact were hastily designed and put into use without sufficient validation.
“Every grade on these report cards is tainted by unverified, arbitrary, poorly designed and implemented tests that have been thrown out by the Ohio Legislature,” said Fedor, who serves as ranking minority member on the House Education Committee. “The flaws are so pervasive that the grades on the Ohio School Report Cards should not be counted for anything. The state calls it a safe harbor, which should lead one to question: Why are there report cards at all?”
Several area superintendents said getting the results so late, compared to other years, didn’t help either.
“The results this year are close to eight months behind when we usually have them. Our staff has done a great job of self-identifying areas of strength and weakness for the 2015-16 school year, so getting results this late is rather meaningless,” Jackson Center Superintendent Bill Reichert said.
“The report card results from last year’s testing being received with two-thirds of this school year completed indicate a mixed bag of information to analyze and review,” added Sidney City Schools Superintendent John Scheu.
The 2015 Ohio School Report Cards include six major components – Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 Literacy and Prepared for Success. There are one or more measures within each component. The state assigns an A to F letter grade to each. Districts and schools can receive up to 10 grades altogether.
The attached graph shows the letter grades for local school districts in all categories and subcategories. The Indicators Met category answers the question: “How many students passed the state tests?” While the Performance Index category asks: “How well did the students do on the state tests?” The graduation rates cover how many students graduated in four years and five years.
The Progress section is the district’s average progress for its students in math and reading, grades four to eight. It looks at how much each student learns in a year. Did students get a year’s worth of growth? Did they get more? Did they get less? It looks at all students, gifted students, lowest 20 percent of students in achievement, and students with disabilities.
The Gap Closing or annual measurable objectives (AMO) grade measures how the performance of student groups in the district compare to the state goal in reading, math and graduation regardless of income, race, ethnicity or disability.
The K-3 Literacy grade answers the question: “Are more students learning to read in kindergarten through third grade?” The “n/a” means that the sample size was too small for the affected students. Superintendents agree this is usually a good thing.
They also agree their faculty, students and parents work hard.
“The hard work and efforts of our faculty and students make a difference for us,” Botkins Superintendent Connie Schneider said. “We are appreciative of our parents who support our efforts in providing the best possible education for our students.”
“Our students perform well because of the high value placed on education at home and in the classroom,” said Minster Superintendent Brenda Boeke.
A comprehensive letter grade for each district will not be released until 2018 due to the drastic changes in the state assessments. The 2015-16 school year marks the third year in a row with new assessments.
This year, Ohio public schools will use American Institute Research (AIR) tests, which is the same company that had previously developed the state’s science and social studies exams. AIR will now provide language arts and mathematics exams in addition to science and social studies.
To see more of what your child’s superintendent had to say about this year’s results, visit this story on our website at www.sidneydailynews.com.
