Ohio K-12 schools did not receive an overall grade for 2021-22, but they did receive ratings on individual components of the report card. The Ohio legislature also changed the previous system of A-F grades to a 1-5 stars system.
The last time schools were given component grades was the 2018-19 school year, with the state saying it would be unfair to schools to grade them in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to disruptions from COVID-19.
Schools were still evaluated on how well their students did on state tests, reading proficiency in kindergarten through third grade, graduation rates, how students are progressing year over year, how well schools are able to close gaps between student subgroups, and how ready a student is to enter the workforce, college or the military after graduation. However, the new equation puts increased weight on year-over-year progress and gap closing.
In Clark County, five of the seven schools had star ratings of 3 in achievement (whether student performance on state tests met thresholds and how well they performed on tests overall), four schools had a 5 in gap closing, and three had a 3 in progress.
Springfield City Schools had the lowest star ratings across each category, with a 2 in achievement and a 1 in the others. The district had a performance index percentage, a measure of state test performance, of 52.7%, and a negative growth index.
“Although the release of the report card seems to paint a disappointing picture, it is not a comprehensive representation of the incredible work happening in the district, the effects of the pandemic on student learning and performance or the external factors that exist in an urban district of our size,” said Superintendent Bob Hill.
“Every district decision is based on our students learning and living — many surviving in poverty, while still attending school and thriving. We support each student, in the manner that they need, to succeed after graduation – whether employed, enrolled in a community college, enlisted in the armed services or attending an Ivy League.”
Southeastern Local Schools had the highest star rating in achievement with a 4, and a performance index percentage of 80.7%. Clark-Shawnee, Greenon, Northeastern, Northwestern and Tecumseh each scored 3s.
“Students, parents and staff should be commended for their efforts during an academically challenging year,” said Southeastern Superintendent David Shea. “Teachers did a tremendous job in helping students overcome learning loss from the previous year. While we scored well within the county, Southeastern is also looking to improve in all grade card areas for the coming school year.”
Clark-Shawnee Local Schools had the highest star rating in progress with a 5, and the only one in the county. Tecumseh scored a 4, Northeastern, Northwestern and Southeastern scored a 3, and Greenon scored a 2.
As for gap closing, Clark-Shawnee, Northeastern, Northwestern and Southeastern all had the highest star rating of 5, while Tecumseh had a 4 and Greenon had a 3.
Clark-Shawnee Superintendent Brian Kuhn said he is pleased with the report card, and although the pandemic had its challenges, the district was able to help close learning gaps and increase student achievement.
“The report card data shows that the efforts of our teachers paid off. Clark-Shawnee was the only school district in Clark County to receive a 5-star rating in the progress component of the report card. This metric shows that our students demonstrated more academic growth in a single school year than the state would have anticipated,” he said.
In Champaign County, most schools’ star ratings also were in the middle range. Three of the five schools had star ratings of 4 in achievement and three schools had a 3 in progress.
Mechanicsburg, Triad and West Liberty-Salem had the highest star ratings in achievement with a 4, with Graham and Urbana following with a 3. Both Mechanicsburg and Triad also had the highest gap closing with a 5.
As for progress, Mechanicsburg, Triad and Urbana all had star ratings of a 3, while Graham and West Liberty-Salem had a 2.
| District | Achievement Rating | Performance Index % | Progress Rating | 4-Year Grad Rate 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLARK COUNTY | ||||
| Southeastern | 4 | 80.7 | 3 | 93.2 |
| Northeastern | 3 | 78.9 | 3 | 92.1 |
| Northwestern | 3 | 78.7 | 3 | 94.9 |
| Clark-Shawnee | 3 | 78.5 | 5 | 94.1 |
| Greenon | 3 | 74.5 | 2 | 92.2 |
| Tecumseh | 3 | 71.6 | 4 | 85.8 |
| Springfield | 2 | 52.7 | 1 | 78.3 |
| CHAMPAIGN COUNTY | ||||
| West Liberty-Salem | 4 | 88.5 | 2 | 97.9 |
| Mechanicsburg | 4 | 87.2 | 3 | 97.6 |
| Triad | 4 | 84.2 | 3 | 94.3 |
| Graham | 3 | 74.2 | 2 | 93.1 |
| Urbana | 3 | 70.4 | 3 | 88.5 |
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