State meets 19 of 30 standards
- 2009 School Report Cards
A total of 116 districts and 215 schools received the state’s top designation.
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s fifth- and eighth-graders failed to meet state-set proficiency levels in reading, math, science and social studies.
And the overall graduation rate for Ohio high schoolers did not reach the 90 percent level sought by education officials.
But overall, Ohio met or exceeded education standards in 19 of 30 areas and is making progress in problem areas, state officials said Tuesday.
“Educators continue to help students achieve at higher levels and, in many cases, surpass the rigorous academic standards that have been laid before them,” Deborah Delisle, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, said in a released statement. “More districts have earned a rating of effective or higher on their 2008-09 report cards than in previous years.”
The Ohio Department of Education on Tuesday released academic report cards for districts and schools.
The statistics spotlight how well students are performing in core-subject achievement tests and whether they are passing the Ohio Graduation Test.
The results are used in labeling individual school buildings and districts with one of five designations — ranging from excellent with distinction to those doing well to academic emergency for those that are failing.
Among the statewide results:
UA total of 116 districts and 215 schools received the state’s top academic designation, up from 74 and 158, respectively, in 2007-08.
U154 districts and 1,258 schools were ranked as excellent, up from 152 and 1,116, respectively.
UNine districts and 220 schools were ranked as academic watch, the second-to-lowest designation. That compares to nine and 230 in the prior school year.
UIn addition to fifth- and eighth-grade, standards were not met in seventh-grade math and in the science portion of the 11th-grade graduation test.
UThe state graduation rate for 2007-08 was 84.6 percent, below the 90 percent standard set by the state. The result was down about 2 percent from the prior school year and was the second decline in graduation rates in the past decade.
“While many of our measures demonstrate overall progress, we must continue to improve our state’s education system,” Delisle said. “The education reform plan outlined in the 2010-11 budget creates a foundation on which we can build the future of education in Ohio.”
mkovac@dixcom.com