State report cards coming later

Extreme weather earlier this year contributes to delay.

A new school year is starting soon, but the usual release of Ohio Report Cards for school districts won’t happen until September.

The report cards — typically released in August — detail achievement scores, growth in student learning and graduation rates, among other items, from the previous school year.

The 2013-14 state report cards are now anticipated to be released in mid-September, said Marianne Mottley, assistant director of accountability at the Ohio Department of Education.

“ODE granted districts an extension to the (spring) testing window this year because of the extreme weather conditions that caused so many districts to be closed for extended periods of time,” Mottley said. “This testing extension has a ripple effect on all of the processes that we do and districts do to prepare for the report cards.”

While the state hasn’t identified a date yet for the release of report card data, districts across Ohio have been able to access raw test scores — along with performance index, annual measurable objectives and graduation rates — this summer through a secure data center online, said John Charlton, spokesman for ODE.

Mottley said a change coming to the report card data this year is an increase in the minimum passage rate for districts to meet indicators for test scores in grades 3-8 and 10. Previously, districts needed 75 percent of students to pass the tests; the minimum rate is now 80 percent.

The 2013-14 report card will not include an overall letter grade for districts, or letter grades for the six components — Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 literacy and Prepared for Success.

Mottley said districts will get letter grades for 10 measures: indicators met; performance index; four-year graduation rate; five-year graduation rate; annual measurable objectives; value-added overall; value-added for gifted students; value-added for lowest 20 percent; value-added for students with disabilities; and a new measure of K-3 literacy.

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