Mahoning Valley school districts prepare for changes

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

The state plans more changes for the upcoming report card, and Mahoning Valley school districts are preparing for the effects of those changes.

The Ohio Department of Education last week filed a request with the U.S. Department of Education for a waiver from portions of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Eleven states already have been granted waivers, and Ohio expects a decision within a few months.

Stan Heffner, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a news release that getting the waiver is part of raising the bar so Ohio schools can remain competitive.

“This new accountability system will give Ohioans a more honest picture of how our schools are really performing,” he said.

Stan Watson, Liberty superintendent, just wants the state to decide what the system is going to be and stick with it. All of the changes from the state during the last few years mean training and retraining, he said.

“Let’s decide and do it,” Watson said.

One requested change is to replace the adequate yearly progress measure, which carried a goal of 100 percent reading and math proficiency for all students in every demographic group, with objectives aimed at reducing the achievement gap in reading and math by half over six years.

Another change would replace the report-card ratings of excellent with distinction through academic emergency with an A to F letter grade.

It also means more stringent requirements. Some districts rated excellent or even excellent with distinction last year would slip.

“In most cases, this is a far more rigorous system than the one currently used, and in general, grades will be ‘lower’ by one or even two levels from the counterpart ratings that we have been using in our current accountability system,” Heffner wrote in an email to Ohio superintendents.

For example, on the most recent report card, 86 districts across the state were designated excellent with distinction, and 266 were designated excellent. Those districts would be graded A on the most recent report card. But under the new, more rigorous system, only 17 districts would earn an A.

“We’ll play by their rules,” said Youngstown Superintendent Connie Hathorn. “We’ll do the best we can to try to meet the needs of the kids. We’ll keep on pushing and making adjustments to do that.”

That district, designated in academic watch last year, would have a D on the most recent report card as would Warren City Schools.

Most area community schools would have earned an F, including Life Skills Center of Youngstown, Mahoning County High School, Mahoning Valley Opportunity Center, Southside Academy, Summit Academy Secondary School and Youngstown Academy of Excellence.

Youngstown Community School, however, would have earned a B.

Austintown Superintendent Vince Colaluca said he understands that the state is trying to make the system, which would begin with the 2011-12 report cards, more understandable to parents and the public.

But schools are getting away from letter grades and moving toward standards-based report cards for students, Colaluca said.

Standards-based report cards indicate the knowledge and skills expected at a particular grade level and whether a student has mastered, is proficient or needs assistance in those areas.

Canfield Superintendent Dante Zambrini agreed.

“It’s a situation of A-B-C-D-F is giving way to an old system,” he said. “It’s not progressive. That system of grading is based on a bell curve from years ago. I see it as regression.”

Although Austintown was designated effective and Canfield excellent on last year’s report card, both districts would have been graded B.

“Before, [students] were graded against each other,” Zambrini said. “Now we have to look at the individual growth of each student and take students where they are.”

Similarly, report cards should look at what a district does well and where it needs improvement, he said. Letter grades don’t do that. Colaluca said that the adequate yearly progress is something that has worked against some larger districts. Austintown, for example, has students in all subgroups except limited English proficiency.

But at the same time, AYP made the district examine that student data and make adjustments to help students improve, Colaluca said, crediting teachers for that success.

The goal, though, of having all AYP groups at 100 percent proficiency for reading and math by 2014 was unrealistic, he said.

“You want to strive and have lofty goals, but that’s like asking the government to balance the budget next year — not gonna happen,” Colaluca said. “It’s about making sure students are successful no matter where they are on the spectrum. No matter where we are, we are always going to continue to push kids whether they’re at the high end or the low end.”