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School districts get ratings, strive for improvement

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By Ted Pennekamp

 

Most school districts throughout Wisconsin meet or exceed expectations on their 2015-2016 report cards according to the State Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and area districts are no exception.

More than 82 percent of public schools and 91 percent of districts earned three or more stars on the state’s 2015-16 report cards, meaning they met or exceeded expectations for educating students. The 2015-16 report cards are based on major changes that were included in Wisconsin Act 55, the 2015-17 state budget. Though they provide a snapshot of school and district performance, the 2015-16 report cards are not comparable to report cards issued in prior years and do not represent a full picture of the important work taking place in schools throughout the state.

Overall, 329 schools earned five-star ratings, 624 had four-stars, 635 schools earned three stars, 243 schools earned two stars, and 99 schools earned one star. Another 162 public schools achieved satisfactory progress and 22 public schools need improvement through alternate accountability. 

Overall, the River Ridge School District received a rating of 63.8 (meets expectations). The district has an enrollment of 521.

The upper elementary met expectations with a 68.8. The middle-high school received a 53.5 (meets few expectations).  The River Ridge Elementary School got a rating of 75.4 (exceeds expectations). 

“I was very pleased when I heard that score,” said River Ridge District Administrator and Elementary Principal Dr. Jeff Athey about the elementary score of 75.4. “That says a lot about the teachers and the kids we have here.”

Athey went on to explain that the district has “Grade Level Teams” of teachers who put in a lot of time to give extra help to students who need it as part of the district’s Response to Intervention (RTI) program, especially in English Language Arts, reading, and math.

“There has been great collaboration among the teachers working on the curriculum and with the students so that nobody falls through the cracks,” said Athey, who noted that there are also numerous RTI meetings to address concerns and find solutions.

Athey said that the passage of the recent referendum by which all students will be at one site should, hopefully, aid the collaboration and coordination among the teachers at all grade levels in order to help the students more.

“We always strive for continuous improvement,” said Athey, in noting that all school districts do the same. “We’re never going to be satisfied. We have a vision of success for all students. We want to continue to move them up.”

Overall, the Wauzeka-Steuben School District had a rating of 77.2 (exceeds expectations). The district has an enrollment of 317. Wauzeka-Steuben High School had a rating of 69.9 (meets expectations). The middle school was at 72.5 (meets expectations), and the elementary school had a 78.7 (exceeds expectations).

“The district has taken proactive steps the last four years in coordinating curriculum, hiring top-notch staff, and continually examining every aspect of the district to find ways to improve,” said District Administrator Robert Sailer. “The staff is dedicated to being the best district in the state and every year we will take a step closer to that goal.”

Overall, the Seneca School District garnered a rating of 86.2 (significantly exceeds expectations). The district has an enrollment of 300. The elementary school had a rating of 87.7 (significantly exceeds expectations). The junior high had an 81.5 (exceeds expectations). The high school had an alternative rating of satisfactory progress.

“Our school continues to provide the best possible educational opportunities for our students by promoting a balance of academics, extra-curricular activities, vocational opportunities, and values,” said District Administrator David Boland. “We will continue to emphasize character traits like leadership, self-esteem, achievement, accountability, and strong work ethics in our young people. This report card reflects the dedication of the students and parents, the quality of the staff, and the commitment of the community towards our school district.”

The Prairie du Chien Area School District had an overall rating of 77.1 (exceeds expectations). The district has an enrollment of 1,108 students.

B.A. Kennedy Elementary School had an alternative rating of satisfactory progress. Bluff View Elementary had an 87.5 (significantly exceeds expectations). Bluff View Junior High had a rating of 77.5 (exceeds expectations). Bluff View Middle School had a 70.1 (meets expectations). Prairie du Chien High School had 63.6 (meets expectations).

“All schools in our area of the state do very well. What we are most excited about at Prairie du Chien is the progress we are making in the lower grades,” said District Administrator Drew Johnson. “The report card for Bluff View Elementary is impressive with a significantly exceeds expectations rating. We have been investing a lot of resources into early and often interventions in the beginning educational years. The focus is to get kids up and running with reading and mathematics skills, and to help the students that need the help when they need the help. This focus is paying off with the highest ever achievement levels coming through the system.”

Accountability ratings are calculated on four priority areas: student achievement in English language arts and mathematics, student growth, closing gaps between student groups, and measures of readiness for graduation and postsecondary success, which includes graduation and attendance rates, third-grade English language arts achievement, and eighth-grade mathematics achievement. Additionally, schools and districts could have point deductions for missing targets for student engagement: test participation (95% for all students and each subgroup), absenteeism (less than 13%), and dropout rates (less than 6%). Test participation deductions were not applied to district report cards for 2015-16 because of changes in federal education law. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) puts accountability for test participation at the school, not district, level.

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