AW Ranks In Top 7 Percent In Ohio Report Card Results

BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — When it comes to school performance, Anthony Wayne Local Schools are 4.5-star Generals.

With the release of the Ohio School Report Cards last week, the district learned that it earned an overall rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

“We’re happy with the results,” said Superinten-dent Dr. Jim Fritz. 

The report card gives a picture of the progress of the district and each of the schools’ performance in five categories considered most crucial to success in learning: achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation rates and early literacy.

“We really focused in on that performance index, which is a compilation of all the tests given,” Fritz said, referring to a measurement within the achievement portion of the report card. 

The performance index measures the test results of every student. The maximum possible score of 108.8 is determined by the average of the highest 2 percent of performance index scores in the state.

Based on the performance index, the district is in the top 7 percent in Ohio, earning a 102.2. 

“We’re really excited about individual building performance,” Fritz said.

Whitehouse had a performance index of 110.3 – almost three points above the maximum possible score of 108.8.

“Whitehouse had the fifth highest performance of all schools. That’s incredible. It puts them in the top 1 percent in the state,” Fritz said.

Monclova is in the top 2 percent with a score of 109, while Waterville Primary and Fallen Timbers Middle School both earned a score of 106 – in the top 3 to 4 percent. The junior high earned 101.1 points while the high school earned 95.2.

In all, AWLS earned five out of five stars for achievement because of those scores.

The district also earned five stars on gap closing – which measures how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for students in English language arts, math and graduation. It also measures how schools are doing in supporting English learners to increase language proficiency, reducing chronic absenteeism for all students, and identifying gifted students and providing gifted services.

With a four-year graduation rate of 98.2 percent, AWLS also earned 5 stars in that category.

The district earned four stars in the early literacy component, which examines the effectiveness of the reading and literacy supports provided to children in kindergarten through third grade. 

The district’s only 3-star rating was in progress, which measures academic performance compared to expected growth. Fritz said he’s not disappointed with that ranking. With students already scoring at the top, it’s hard to improve that score further.

“With kids doing so well on tests, there’s less room to miss a question or two on those tests. It’s almost impossible to continuously have five stars,” he said.

Overall, Whitehouse Primary School earned five stars in every category, and the district plans to recognize that work in the coming weeks.

The Report Card results show the hard work of the staff in working with individual students to help move them forward, especially after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the mixture of online and in-school instruction, Fritz said.

One area that’s shared in the Report Card but that doesn’t count toward districts’ overall scores is College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness. The readiness is measured by achievements such as students who receive an honors diploma, industry-recognized credentials, pre-apprenticeship completion, Ohio Means Jobs Readiness Seal, dual enrollment credit, remediation-free ACT or SAT scores or an AP score of 3 or better. The district earned a score of 61.7 percent, based on 326 students divided by the 201 students demonstrating post-secondary readiness.

“We have concerns about that – some schools don’t have participation in those categories, so it shouldn’t count against you,” Fritz said. It’s also difficult to track career paths students take after graduation because not all graduates provide feedback once they’re out of school.

While the state released its Report Card, the district also released its Quality Profile, which shares a lot more information on activities, programs and goals in the district, Fritz said.

“We share some of the things that parents and community members say are important to them,” he noted.

Both the Quality Profile and Report Card details are shared at www.anthonywayneschools.org.