Several local schools make big strides in latest round of Ohio report cards

The Ohio Department of Education uses data from the public schools and puts it into six components: achievement, gap closing, early literacy, progress, graduation and readiness (college, military, career). In past years, the districts were given an overall letter grade.

This year, districts were given an overall star rating for the first time. Ohio schools have not received an overall rating since 2019 due to the COVID pandemic. ODE changed its grading system last year but phased in the overall rating for this year.

Here are some highlights based on the latest data:

Highest achievers

Area schools that received five stars on the report card were Bellbrook, Centerville, Miami East, Oakwood, Springboro, Tipp City, Wayne Local and Yellow Springs.

Centerville Schools noted the district received five stars on gap closing and progress components, two parts of the report card that show how the district has been helping students improve year over year. The district received four stars for achievement, early literacy and graduation components of the report card.

“It’s important for us to look at this data and see how we can continue to improve, but we have a lot to celebrate,” said Adam Ciarlariello, Centerville’s director of secondary curriculum.

District leaders also celebrated the work of Centerville teachers and staff.

“Our students are showing a lot of growth, and we are definitely encouraged by the learning rebounds we continue to see in our schools,” said Cherie Colopy, the director of elementary curriculum. “This is directly due to the hard work of our teachers and support staff.”

Bellbrook schools superintendent Doug Cozad said Bellbrook was the only district in the area and one of just eight in the state who received five stars on both the overall rating and all five components.

Cozad thanked both the staff and families in the district but said the report will also show how the schools can improve.

“While this report card shows us what we are doing right, it also shows the areas we can improve,” Cozad said.

Yellow Springs also showed significant improvement, moving up to a five-star rating from a C rating in 2018-2019.

“Overall, these results are indicative of the hard work of our talented staff who are dedicated to providing a high-quality educational student experience in an inclusive, caring, and equitable environment,” said Terri Holden, superintendent for the district.

Holden cited curriculum improvements the district implemented in 2021, as well as project-based learning the district uses beginning in kindergarten.

Mad River

Good news for Mad River families: the district improved its report card from previous years to a 3-star rating.

The district received four stars on gap closing, three stars on performance, and two stars on early literacy, progress and graduation.

In 2018-2019, Mad River received a D rating.

Chad Wyen, the superintendent of Mad River Schools, said consistent implementation of the district’s English language arts and math curriculums contributed to the growth. In addition, Wyen said Mad River staff is also using consistent assessment tools to decide how to best meet student needs academically.

“I am very proud of our staff and shared the preliminary report card data with them during our opening day convocation, celebrating our successes,” Wyen said.

Dayton Public

Dayton Public has traditionally scored among the lowest in the area and in the state on the report card. This year, they received a two-star rating.

However, DPS scored higher than Springfield City on the report cards. Compared to the other large urban districts in Ohio – Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland – DPS scored the lowest. Toledo scored the highest.

DPS received two stars in gap closing, but one star in achievement, early literacy, progress and graduation.

Before the school year started, DPS officials said they anticipated their report card would not be improving. The district said they would be putting an emphasis this year on high school and middle school math, encouraging teachers to assign students homework and collaborate to understand the concepts.

The district also changed their two teachers per classroom model to ensure the teachers were collaborating on teaching a lesson instead of teaching two different classes at the same time in the same room.

DPS administrators did not respond to a request for comment.

Similarly, Trotwood-Madison has traditionally scored low on report cards. This year, the district received a two-star rating.

Reva Cosby, superintendent of Trotwood schools, said the district is showing improvement.

“This shows that the hard work of our staff, students, and families is paying off,” Cosby said. “Change cannot, and does not, happen overnight, and it’s important to recognize that the State Report Cards are one part of the story in detailing our overall student experience. While we still have room for improvement, I am optimistic about our future.”

Jefferson Twp.

The small rural district received the lowest score in the state on this year’s report cards.

The district was the only one in the state to receive a 1.5-star rating. In 2018-2019, Jefferson Twp. received an F grade.

Anne Watson, Blairwood Elementary principal in Jefferson Twp. Schools, said the district has been reviewing their curriculum and making changes.

Watson said the district is working to implement evidence-based curriculums and instructional strategies.

“We do recognize that there are areas for growth within our district,” Watson said. “We are working hard for where we need to go.”

Watson said while the district is not proud of where they are, “We’re going to own it. And we’re working to build upon that and move out of that area.”