Achievement and progress are most heavily weighted into the equation. Achievement includes how students did on state testing, and progress is the statistical analysis used to measure academic growth of students from year to year, according to ODEW.
The star rating is the system that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce use to rate how well school districts are doing, with 3 to 3.5 stars considered meeting state expectations.
Top-performing school districts
Many of the regular top-performing school districts in the region again dominated this school year.
Oakwood City Schools was the seventh-highest performing school district by overall rating points, which is used to determine the star rating of each district, and performed the ninth-best on state tests. Oakwood overall earned 5 stars.
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek, Centerville, Mason, Miami East and Wayne Local also earned 5 stars.
“This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our teachers and staff, who work daily to empower, challenge, and support every learner to grow every day,” said Jon Wesney, superintendent for Centerville Schools. “We are incredibly proud of our students, whose hard work and accomplishments made this possible.”
Springboro Schools dropped slightly, from a 5-star rating to a 4.5-star rating. District leaders said the change was due to an adjustment in the Gap Closing measure and said they would “intensify our efforts to ensure every student has equitable access to success.”
Kettering City Schools earned 4 stars overall and in achievement, progress, graduation rate and early literacy, along with a 5-star rating in Gap Closing, which shows how much students learn through the year.
“We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for this outstanding performance and their commitment to excellence,” said Kettering superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart.
Improved districts
Multiple local districts saw an increase in the district’s overall star rating.
Troy Schools got a 4.5-star rating, the same as Tipp City Schools, but Troy got five stars in the progress rating, slotting them just above Tipp City Schools in the state’s overall ratings point calculations.
Mad River got a 3-star rating. Jenny Alexander, spokeswoman for the district, said the report card showed “some of the strongest ratings” Mad River had seen since pre-pandemic.
“Mad River Local Schools will continue pushing for stronger growth, higher ratings, and world-class results for every student,” Alexander said.
Trotwood-Madison rose from a 2-star rating to a 2.5 star rating and the district’s progress rating rose from 2 stars to 4 stars.
Valley View Local Schools officials touted the district’s improved overall star rating and said the district had improved in every component on the report card.
“We are incredibly proud of this achievement,” said Andrea Cook, superintendent of Valley View Local Schools, adding that it “represents the hard work and commitment of our entire educational community and demonstrates our unwavering focus on student success.”
Jefferson Twp. Local Schools, which was the only district in the state rated 1.5 stars in the last two report cards, jumped to a 2-star rating this year.
Rusty Clifford, superintendent for Jefferson Twp. Local Schools, credited staff, the school board and students with the improvement in the rating, but said the district will work to improve even further.
“It’s a great start,” he said. “We have goals as to where we want to be.”
Dayton Public still low-ranked in ‘Ohio 8’
While Dayton Public Schools saw some significant academic improvements over last year, Dayton performed worse overall and on multiple indicators compared to the “Ohio 8,” or the eight urban districts.
These include Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland, Canton and Toledo, along with Dayton.
None of the urban districts got above a 3.5-star rating. Dayton received a 2-star rating.
“Too many students across Ohio fall short of state academic standards, and achievement in our urban school systems remains tragic,” said Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Dayton remained at a 2-star rating for the Progress Component, which shows how students are improving over a school year. The district’s overall proficiency rate was 26.3%, which district officials said was a significant increase compared to previous years.
District assistant superintendent Lisa Minor noted the district was last in three out of the six categories on the report card, but performed better than other districts in early literacy, progress and college, career, military and workforce readiness.
Minor said plans are already under way to improve academic achievement. DPS started implementing an academy model through a nonprofit called Ford Next Generation Learning that allows students to pursue a pathway to a career, college credentials, and industry credentials for all at the high school level and provides experiences in all grades.
“Through this work, our goal is for 100% of students to be successful after graduation, whether they enroll in college, enter the workforce, start their own business, or serve in the military,” Minor said.
Dayton Public district officials touted the district’s improved proficiency rates and noted students in multiple grade levels saw significant academic grades.
The district also got a 4.5-star rating on the Career-Technical Education report card.
“This amazing achievement is a testament to Dayton Public Schools’ commitment to student success,” said David Lawrence, superintendent of Dayton Public Schools.
Lawrence noted the district has expanded college and career pathways to all high schools and implemented career pathways at the middle school level.
“We believe setting students up for success begins well before graduation, and our report card clearly demonstrates that this strategy is working and is having a positive effect,” he said.
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