Submitted article
The State of Ohio Department of Education released the 2014 District Report Cards to the general public Sept. 12. The expanded report cards grade schools and districts on a mix of new and previously used items with an A-F letter-grade system. Achievement tests remain a major part of school and district grades. In addition, the report cards for 2013-2014 uses other measurements such as progress (value-added), annual measurable objectives and graduation rate to determine if students are prepared for success beyond high school.
The Bucyrus City Schools received high marks in the “Progress Data Measure,” which measures the growth, or value added, of students from one year to the next. The Bucyrus Elementary School and Bucyrus Secondary School each received an overall progress grade of a “B.” As a district, Bucyrus City Schools earned an overall progress measure grade of “A.”
“We believe that this measure best describes the success of our school district,” Superintendent Kevin Kimmel said. “We feel the high mark for overall progress in both buildings is a strong indication that the Bucyrus City Schools are helping all students achieve strong academic growth.”
“Our state places student progress measures, or value-added measures, in a position of extreme importance,” Bucyrus City Schools Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Matthew Henderson said. “The new teacher evaluation system requires that certain grade level and subject area teachers have fifty percent of their teacher evaluation determined by value-added, or year-to-year growth of their students. Teachers in our district provide excellent instruction to reach every individual student in an effort to help them grow academically. We are pleased to see their efforts reflected in our District and School Progress measures.”
The State Report Card is a snapshot in time that provides a one-time measure of student progress and achievement. The amount of information provided in the new and expanded district report cards can be overwhelming to the general public, and does not fully measure the enormous impact a school district has on the overall education of children.
“The administration, teachers and support staff of the Bucyrus City Schools are committed to continually working with our students to meet their individual needs by providing a customized, personalized education,” Kimmel said. “Our local report card provides us an opportunity to identify areas of strengths and areas of needed growth, and we will continue working tirelessly to provide the best educational experience for every single student of the Bucyrus City Schools.”