Campbell schools dropped from effective to continuous improvement

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Education lowered the 2011 report card designation for Campbell City Schools from effective to continuous improvement.

The district was one of six districts for which the department recalculated that year’s report cards to include test scores for students who had been improperly excluded from the calculations by local officials.

The most significant change is the lowering of the 2011 rating for the Northridge Local School District in Montgomery County from Excellent to Continuous Improvement, a drop of two levels under the rating system in place at that time. The district also met state standards on 11 academic indicators, not the 17 previously reported.

The inflated rating had allowed the district to receive nearly $28,000 in state bonus money for excellent academic performance. The department is demanding the district return those funds. The bonus program no longer exists.

“Actions that mislead the public about the performance of our education system are unacceptable,” Richard Ross, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a news release. “Local communities should have confidence that schools are giving a full and honest accounting of how they are educating our children. By recalculating the report cards, we are taking an important step to restore that trust.”