Despite flawed report cards, new results reflect well on most Valley school districts

The tardy release last week of incomplete report-card results for Ohio schools for the 2014-15 school year understandably has ruffled the feathers of many a teacher and educational administrator throughout Ohio.

Their late release, midway through the 2015-16 school year instead of last summer or fall, gives officials little time to analyze results and implement strategies for improvement this school year.

What’s more, the piecemeal release – last week’s dump did not include the all-important subject-area test scores – provides a less than thorough evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses in a given school building or school district.

Still others are annoyed by the metrics used in the report cards, and more than 80 Ohio school districts, including Youngstown, have filed appeals challenging their report-card outcomes.

VALUE OF REPORT CARDS

But for all of their flaws, the new batch of report cards nonetheless wields value. They clearly and publicly reinforce the high caliber of academic integrity among the vast majority of Mahoning Valley school districts. Results in those areas already graded illustrate that schools in the tri-county area can stand proud, particularly in successfully graduating the majority of students and in enhancing literacy skills in the elementary school grades.

Only three school districts of 45 in the Mahoning Valley flunked out by not graduating at least 80 percent of students within four or five years. (We will comment on these few failing districts in an upcoming editorial.)

A strong majority of Valley districts, however, scored As and Bs in this critical category with Lakeview High School in Trumbull County leading the pack with an amazing 99 percent graduation rate.

Graduation rates truly reflect the success or failure of both schools and their students. Steady attendance and high graduation rates generally translate into stronger academic acuity and better preparation for successful post high-school experiences.

According to research from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education:

High school graduates are less likely than high school dropouts to be unemployed, live in poverty and have poor health.

High school graduates earn at least half a million dollars more in lifetime earnings than a dropout.

High school graduates are less likely to engage in criminal behavior and are six times less likely to be arrested.

With so much at stake for the future of individual lives and communities, it’s encouraging to see ongoing improvements in expanding the ranks of graduates throughout our region.

PREPARATION FOR SUCCESS

The new report cards also provide some enlightening data on just how well students are prepared for successful futures. Though no letter grades were awarded in that subject, numerical data can tell much of the story. Canfield, with one of the highest graduation rates, boasts the highest mean score in the Valley on the ACT entrance exam (24) and the highest percentage of its student body (91 percent) taking the test.

To be sure, not all school districts can rise to the top of the heap. But they certainly can never stop trying to get there. That’s where the report cards – even this winter’s less than ideal versions – can provide some clear guidance.

For example, an analysis of two suburban Youngstown districts show a 40 percentage point spread between the best-performing and worst-performing schools in kindergarten through third-grade literacy within those districts. Leaders there can use the data as a study guide to brainstorm ways to close those troubling gaps.

Now as we await the second – and arguably more important – half of the report card results late next month, we’d hope that state Education Department leaders work toward ensuring more timely complete results for the 2015-16 school year later this year.

But given that testing frameworks will again be altered for the third year in a row because of controversy over the Common Core curriculum foundation of this year’s tests, we won’t hold out high hopes.

This year’s partial results, nonetheless, offer useful snapshots into the academic landscape of the state’s 600-plus school systems. And for most school districts in the Mahoning Valley, a vibrant and pleasing picture emerges of accelerated literacy achievement and heightened graduation standings.