Release of New London's District Report Card

In my last Blog, I discussed the results of our state assessments and their impact on our State Report Card.  Today, I'd like to discuss the other components of the report card.  Let me start by stating that I am not happy with our results.  New London has prided itself on our report card and how it has demonstrated our commitment to student achievement.  My disappointment stems both from the local pieces we can control as well as the ever changing landscape of education in Ohio.  I also want to say that I have no problem with accountability.  I think holding schools accountable is good for our communities and good for kids.  The concerns that I have are how we are being held accountable and how that is being communicated, or the lack of communication, by our educational leaders in Columbus.

New London received a series of D's and F's on our Report Card.  Most of those low grades were issued in areas that are controlled by the state assessments.  This includes Achievement, Progress, and Gap Closing.  In my opinion, these are all invalid marks as the assessments that generated those scores are invalid.  New London is not alone in these rankings.  Of the 608 school districts in Ohio, New London is one of 295 that received a D in Achievement, one of 157 receiving a D in Progress, and one of 526 receiving an F in Gap Closing.

Many at the state level claim that these poor scores are due to Ohio raising the standard of education for our students and with a short adjustment period our district scores will rebound.  There is some truth to that.  Ohio has been raising the bar, and districts like New London has met that challenge.  In my opinion, the regression in the report card is more due to the lack of consistency in assessment tools utilized by the state and the moving target that is used to meet the indicator.
Ultimately, this report card does not adequately represent the high quality education that we provide to the students of New London, nor does it represent the quality of teacher that we have.  What it does represent is an opportunity for our district to audit our current resources and materials.  To really dig deep into the scores and determine, even if the assessments aren't perfectly aligned, that locally our district is meeting the needs of our students.

What do you think?  Post a comment to share your thoughts on the State Report Card and its value as a community member to forming your opinion of our school district.  Thank you for taking the time to read...and have a great day!!