Home Uncategorized BCS receives positive report card results

BCS receives positive report card results

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BEAVERCREEK — Ohio Department of Education released their report cards for schools across the state Sept. 14, showing progress the Beavercreek City School District has made in the last year.

The school district received two As, one B and three Cs for the 2016-2017 school year in six areas of measurement. Compared to last year, two grades went up, three maintained the same average and only one went down.

Superintendent Paul Otten noted positive results, but said the schools will keep working for progress.

“We see our latest report card results as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Although some components of our report card show impressive results when compared to those of similar school districts … we know there is work to be done. We will always strive to exceed our community’s high standards,” Otten said.

The only area the district received a lesser score from the year prior was achievement. Achievement measures students’ performance on state tests.

According to Otten, state testing weighs heavily on the report card results.

“The testing expectations put forth by the state have shifted continuously over the past several years. Progress toward a reasonable goal that truly measures student knowledge has given way to aiming for a moving target,” he said.

The district received a C in achievement overall — or broken down, a B (82.7 percent) for performance index and D (58.3 percent) for indicators met. While performance index measures the achievement of all students on state tests, indicators met just represents the students who passed.

Last year’s achievement score was an overall B. The performance index went up one percent this year while the indicators met went down 21 percent.

Beavercreek City Schools saw the biggest area of improvement in gap closing. Gap closing shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for the “most vulnerable populations of students” in English language arts, math and graduation. The district saw a jump from an F (59.6 percent) to a C (72.2 percent).

K-3 literacy also saw an improvement from a C (50.9 percent) to a B (53.9 percent). This component measures whether students are learning to read in kindergarten through third grade, and how successful the school is at getting struggling readers on track to proficiency in third grade and beyond.

The next three components stayed relatively the same.

Progress remained an A overall, breaking down into an A for overall value-added, A for gifted value-added, A for lowest 20 percent in achievement and B for students with disabilities.

Graduation rate — an A once again this year — represents the percentage of students who graduated within 4 or 5 years. The score shows 96.1 percent of students graduating in 4 years and 97.6 percent of students graduating in 5 years.

The “prepared for success” measure looks at how well prepared students are for the future, whether entering the technical field, work, or college. The grade stayed a C this year.

The superintendent remained confident in Beavercreek’s students, reminding the community that there are many more determiners for success than a report card.

“This report card does not accurately reflect the skills our students possess, the great strides they have made, or the amazing things our alumni do every day around the world,” Otten said. “Moving forward, Beavercreek City Schools will continue to prepare students for the rigors of the 21st century. We will keep pace and provide proper support in the face of ever-increasing demands on their time and abilities. Our district is shaping the leaders of tomorrow — something a report card is incapable of showing.”

By Anna Bolton

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Contact Anna Bolton at 937-502-4498.