Start Ready, Graduate Ready Series
By Tara D. Meyerink, Superintendent
Buckeye Central Local Schools
tmeyerink@buckeye-central.org

August 2013

Many new and revised laws and mandates are coming to us from the State. How is this now different from the years prior?  Summer 2012, the State Board of Education, State Superintendent, and State Associate Superintendent traveled throughout the state doing presentations to the public in an effort to better inform the direction of Ohio’s educational reform movement. Most recently, HB 555 has given district leaders additional clarification with regards to the reform movement; which has also caused more questions than we have answers at this time.

It has been a few months since our last series article.  This was purposeful since the next topic includes the new state report card which is the result of the United States Department of Education approving Ohio’s waiver application for No Child Left Behind.  The New Report Card is now available on the following interactive website: reportcard.education.ohio.gov. This is the last of our series as our district moves through its systemic changes to ensure the best education for our students. Community engagement meetings started on July 30 and will run through September to extend this conversation to practical application and long-term strategic planning for Buckeye Central Local School District.

Ohio’s Waiver and New Report Card

Ohio requested flexibility to improve student academic achievement and increase the quality of instruction through waivers in ten provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and their associated regulatory, administrative, and reporting requirements. The New A-F Report Card reflects the accountability of  these new provisions.  Below is a news release from the Ohio Department of Education issued August 22, 2013.

…Prior report cards assessed schools and districts mostly on achievement test results and rated them using descriptors such as “Excellent” or “Academic Watch.” The terms were unclear, leading the state to eliminate the ratings and move to more commonly understood letter grades.

“This report card gives us an opportunity to make huge strides for the boys and girls of Ohio. We can celebrate our successes and work together hand-in-hand with our communities to improve the areas where we have struggled,” said State Superintendent Dr. Richard A. Ross.

Under the old system, more than six out of 10 Ohio school districts were rated “Excellent” or “Excellent with Distinction,” the highest labels possible. Yet the Ohio Board of Regents reports that 40 percent of Ohio graduates who enter an Ohio public college must take one or more remedial courses before they can do college work. Many young students also are struggling to read. In 2012, Ohio had 27,000 third-graders who could not read third-grade material.

In addition to using easier to understand letter grades, the new report card system provides parents, taxpayers, school administrators and teachers with a more comprehensive look at the performance of schools and districts.

“It was time for a clearer way of rating school performance that will help schools and families see what we still have to do to give our students the education they deserve,” Ross said.

The new report cards are using standards for grading that are more rigorous. Some people might be surprised to see a lower grade than they’d expect for certain schools or school districts. Additional measures will be added to the report card over the next two years. The report cards also will offer other features that give taxpayers a sharper picture of how their schools are educating students.

“The goal of Ohio’s public education system is that every child in every Ohio community gets the education needed to be a successful adult — no exceptions,” added Ross.

Also issued today were the new A-F report cards for career-technical schools and information about the performance of “dropout recovery” community schools.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s building principal or my office with any questions/concerns regarding the many changes that are occurring this year.

ODE’s link to understanding the new report card:
http://http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Data/Report-Card/Ohio%E2%80%99s-New-School-Report-Card/Understanding-Ohio-s-New-Report-Card.pdf.aspx