“We are proud of the report card, and it is a testament to the hard work of the students and staff,” Lensman said. “The consistent focus on student growth, high expectations and collaboration between teachers, families and community partners played a key role in these results. Each category reflects both academic achievement and the culture of continuous improvement our district has embraced.”
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s data report for each school district includes 17 different metrics related to achievement, gap closing, early literacy, graduation and progress.
Graham’s report card this year showed improvement on 13 of those markers and decline on one, while two stayed the same and one is a newly added component rating.
Lensman said they’ve seen “notable improvement” in student growth and closing learning gaps, “which demonstrates that intentional supports and interventions are reaching the students who need them most,” and that early literacy continues to “move in the right direction.”
The district scored the highest in early literacy, which increased to 83.3% from its previous 76.3%. The district increased its star ratings in achievement and early literacy, rising to 4 stars from 3 stars. Its performance index rose to 81.3% from 76.3% and college-career readiness to 65.9% from 62.8%.
The district received 3 stars in the newly added college-career ready star component. Previously, the data had been collected but did not get a star rating. Now, that data counts toward the overall score.
Highlighting the district’s performance index, Lensman said it “reflects the achievement level of every student, not just whether they are proficient.” He said it demonstrates their focus “is not just on students at the benchmark, but also on challenging high-performing students while lifting up those who are still catching up.”
As for graduation, the district scored the highest percentage at 99.1%, which was up from 97.7%, as well as the highest four-year graduation rate with 100%, up from 97.8%, and a very slight increase in the five-year rate with 97.8% from 97.5%.
The district only dropped in the gap closing category, decreasing to 63.6% from 65.2%.
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