XENIA — Bellbrook and Yellow Springs schools were the highest scoring public school districts in Greene County, according to report card data released by the Ohio Department of Education Thursday.
Using a star system that began last year, districts earn one to five stars in five categories (achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation rate, and early literacy) and starting this year, one to five stars overall. Bellbrook and Yellow Springs each received five stars overall.
Bellbrook also received five stars in each of the categories and is one of just eight state-wide to earn five stars overall and in each category.
Three stars indicates the district meets the state standards in that category.
Achievement represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall. Progress looks at the growth all students are making based on their past performances. Gap closing measures the reduction in educational gaps for student subgroups. Graduation looks at the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. Early Literacy measures reading improvement and proficiency for K-3 students.
“I have witnessed the great things going on in our district’s classrooms on a daily basis to make sure our students are not only learning what is being taught to them, but how to be good and responsible young adults,” Bellbrook Superintendent Dr. Doug Cozad said in an email to district parents. “The words simply do not exist to explain to you how proud I am. To say our staff goes above and beyond is an understatement and can not do justice to the amount of work they put in.”
Yellow Springs received five stars in progress, gap closing, and graduation rate and four stars in achievement and early literacy.
“These results are indicative of the hard work of our talented staff who are dedicated to providing a high-quality educational student experience in an inclusive, caring, and equitable environment,” said Yellow Springs spokesperson Corina Denny.
Beavercreek received 4.5 stars overall and five stars for gap closing. It received four stars in achievement, progress, and graduation rate, and three stars in early literacy.
Cedar Cliff received four stars overall, including five for achievement, graduation rate, and early literacy, three for gap closing and two for progress. The district received one five star (gap closing) last year.
“We were happy with the overall four out of five star rating,” Superintendent Chad Mason said. “I have been consistently pleased with the state report card from Cedar Cliff in my time as superintendent. It illustrates the great staff and wonderful students we get to work with each day. But we all also understand the report card is a snapshot and a very small piece of what schools are expected to do at this time.”
Fairborn and Greeneview each received 3.5 stars. Fairborn received four stars in progress and gap closing, three stars in achievement, and two stars in graduation rate and early literacy. Greeneview received five stars for graduation rate, four for achievement and gap closing, three for early literacy, and two for progress.
Xenia received 2.5 stars including three for achievement and early literacy, and two for progress, gap closing, and graduation rate.
“The state report card system in Ohio is one that has had many changes over the years, and has often created a serious challenge for schools trying to meet the shifting requirements,” Xenia Superintendent Dr. Gabe Lofton said. “It is our role as educators to meet the standards while also using our expertise to provide the support our students need to learn and grow as they prepare for life after high school. I am proud to say that we continue to see improvement, and met the state standards, in the area of achievement. This component, which is arguably the most important measurement on the report, represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall.”
During the past two years, Xenia has entirely revised its curriculum to help students succeed, with K-5 implementation taking place during the previous school year, and 6-12 implementation beginning just a month ago in middle and high school classrooms.
“The results of this kind of change can take time to become apparent, but I am confident that we are moving in the right direction,” Lofton said. “As we build a stronger foundation for Xenia students, we should continue to see improvement in the coming years.”
Contact Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.
