Grade on state report card could be excellent

by PAUL MORTON

Associate editor

The good news is the Oberlin schools will maintain their effective rating when the district report card is released later this summer, according to preliminary results from the state department of education. The better news is the effective rating could be upgraded to excellent.

The schools met 15 of 30 indicators on the state report card, but had a performance index of 92.1, earning an effective rating. Prospect Elementary, Langston Middle, and Oberlin High schools also had performance index scores between 91.6 and 92.4, earning those schools "effective" ratings.

The performance index score is calculated by assigning a weighted score to each test taken, based on the level of proficiency -- limited, basic, proficient, accelerated, and advanced. According to the preliminary data, 73.1 percent of student tests scored proficient or better.

"Right now, all the schools are effective, the district is effective. We know that," said superintendent Geoff Andrews. "We'll see, when the value-added scores come in, if that changes our rating to 'excellent.'"

The value-added score measures the growth of each student in grades four through eight in reading and math. If the overall composite shows greater than expected growth for two consecutive years, the district's rating is upgraded by one level.

Because the high school does not have students in grades four through eight, it would not be impacted by the value-added measure. But Prospect and Langston could also be upgraded to "excellent" if their value-added measures indicated a second year of above expected growth.

According to the preliminary data, Prospect met the state standards in fourth- and fifth-grade reading and in fifth-grade math. Langston met the standards in reading in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, and sixth-grade math.

The high school met the state standards in 11th grade reading, writing, math, social studies, and science, and 10th grade writing. Andrews said he was not particularly surprised at those results.

"The group that's in 10th grade is a group that has always struggled with testing," he said. "It's a group that hasn't had a lot of success with testing over the years, to the point that they were far away from getting over the bar all through their elementary years."

In fact, that group of students has met only four state standards since they began. They met the writing standard in fourth, fifth, seventh, and 10th grades.

Andrews said it is possible the high school and Prospect could possibly pick up a couple more indicators before the results are official. He said students who moved out of the district after October and took the tests elsewhere should be included in Oberlin's scores, and students who moved into the district after October should be included in the other district's scores.

"The 10th grade, even though now it's one out of five, when this is all done, they may get one or two more of those," Andrews said. "It's conceivable, because of the moving in and out. They need to make sure we have all the right students."