6 Mahoning Valley districts fall short on ratings

In some cases, it was only a matter of a few test scores that caused the drop.

By JEANNE STARMACK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

School districts that got worse instead of better under the state’s “report card” ratings system say new tests are a big reason why.

Six districts were given lower designations for the 2006-07 school year. Designations are excellent, effective, continuous improvement, academic watch and academic emergency.

The six districts who dropped in the ratings are Struthers, from effective to continuous improvement; Wellsville in Columbiana County, from effective to continuous improvement; Warren, from continuous improvement to academic watch; and Springfield Local, West Branch and Maplewood districts, all from excellent to effective.

This year, the state added five new areas in its proficiency tests, 30 areas in all. In each area, pupils must show at least 75 percent proficiency or better to meet state standards.

New this year were seventh-grade writing, eighth- and fifth-grade social studies, and eighth- and fifth-grade science tests.

Some of those new areas caused designations to slip for districts overall and for individual schools, superintendents said.

At West Branch

In West Branch, the district did not score high enough in fifth-grade math, fifth-grade social studies or eighth-grade social studies. Scores were 64, 71.9 and 65.8, respectively.

The two new social studies tests, he said, are the reason for the drop in designation.

“Take the fifth-grade social studies test and eighth-grade social studies test away — that’s what the report looked like last year,” he said.

Nonetheless, the report card’s performance index, an averaging of all test scores of all pupils in a district, is “as high as it’s ever been,” Superintendent Scott Weingart said.

The performance index is rated on a scale of 0 to 120. West Branch’s is at 99.1, up from 98.7 in 2005-06.

A higher performance index score will boost a designation, even if standards aren’t high enough in the testing areas. A performance index score of more than 100 will result in a designation of excellent.

“Nine-tenths of one percent higher would be excellent,” said Weingart. “For us, that’s five kids.”

Two schools in the district fell in the ratings from excellent to effective. They are the middle school and Knox Elementary. The social studies tests are the reason, he said. West Branch High School is rated excellent. All others in the district are effective.

The district will take “a hard look” at social studies, Weingart said.

Warren schools

In Warren, Superintendent Kathryn Hellweg also cited the new tests in science and social studies as one reason for the designation drop.

She also said a big reason was the loss of a large number of pupils to community schools and the state voucher program. Higher achievers left the district.

She said many of those pupils came back, but too late to be counted in enrollment for the tests.

Individually, schools that saw changes in designation were Alden Elementary, from effective to continuous improvement; Garfield Elementary, from excellent to effective; Jefferson Elementary, from effective to continuous improvement; McGuffey Elementary, from effective to continuous improvement; and East Middle School, from continuous improvement to academic watch.

She said those ratings will not continue, because reorganization in Warren is closing elementary and middle schools and opening four new schools that will include kindergarten through eighth grade. She said there will be more instructional support in the new buildings.

She also said a major curriculum redesign and intervention is planned for this year.

Struthers district

In Struthers, Superintendent Sandi DiBacco said the district did not meet state standards for adequate yearly progress in two subgroups: black pupils and pupils with disabilities. Last year, the district didn’t have AYP in only one category: pupils with disabilities.

“If you don’t meet AYP in two categories, you drop,” she said.

She said, however, that the district is thrilled with the progress the elementary school made, jumping from continuous improvement to excellent. She said that focusing on reading and math brought up the designation, and that same focus should help the middle school, where there are problems. The middle school was designated effective, the same as last year.

She said that the district is continuing to look at in-services and interventions at the middle school and that the new social studies and science tests were a factor there, as well.

She said the high school, which dropped from excellent to effective last year because attendance standards weren’t met, is back up this year to excellent.

Springfield’s slip

In Springfield, Superintendent Debra Mettee said their designation fell largely because of the new tests — there were difficulties with eighth-grade social studies and eighth-grade science, and also with fifth-grade social studies. The district just managed to squeak by in fifth-grade math, “so we’ll work on it,” she said.

The elementary and high schools kept their excellent designations, but the middle school dropped from excellent to effective. She said the new tests are why.

She said that because the information tested in eighth grade is cumulative, the district will look at reviewing sixth- and seventh-grade material.

Officials from Wellsville and Maplewood did not return calls seeking comment on the scores.

XON THE WEB: To view Ohio school district report cards for 2007, go to reportcards.vindy.com