Recordpub.com - Garfield and Aurora get A's from the state Schools rated 'excellent' on state report cards; Ravenna, Windham need 'continuous improvement'

By Dave O'Brien
and Deborah Guziak
Record-Courier staff writers
For the first time, the James A. Garfield School District was ranked "excellent" thanks to high test scores, attendance and graduation rates on the 2007-08 state report cards, released today by the Ohio Department of Education.
Garfield, which met 28 out of 30 state indicators, joined perennial high-scorer Aurora as one of only two Portage County school districts to receive the designation, according to the state. It is the seventh year in a row Aurora has met the highest designation, meeting 30 of 30 indicators.
"To say the least, achieving 28 out of 30 indicators, we're excited about that," said Chuck Klamer, superintendent of Garfield schools. "We have excellent students and teachers and administrators who are focused and work very hard to teach that information. It reflects what the Ohio content standards are and that's what we teach."
Klamer said the district met its rating because it met the "value added" benchmark for the second year in a row. He said Garfield only failed to meet the indicator benchmark " a 75 percent passing rate " in the tests for fifth-grade math and eighth-grade social studies.
Aurora and Garfield were among the 152 Ohio school districts rated "excellent" in 2007-08. Of the 611 districts in the state, 292 were "effective" and 83 " including Ravenna and Windham in Portage County " rated "continuous improvement." For the third year in a row, no Ohio school was listed in "academic emergency," the lowest of the six designations, and only nine districts across the state rated "academic watch," the second-lowest designation.
Aurora, Garfield, Mogadore, Rootstown, Streetsboro and Waterloo schools all "met" the federal No Child Left Behind adequate yearly progress standard. The other districts either failed to meet AYP in both reading and math scores or met one of the two.
Kent Superintendent Joe Giancola said value-added growth helped his district, which educates a large number of special needs students. It is a measurement to determine if individual students have made improvements in one year and is included on report cards as another measure of academic achievement.
"With a very large number of students with special needs, the value-added growth will give us the opportunity to meet AYP that we were not allowed to do ... we're very excited about the value-added growth measure. It's much more fair for students with special needs than "Did you pass or not pass?'" Giancola said.
"We have a good staff districtwide," he said. "Good teachers, supportive parents and excellent students. Put all those variables together and you have excellence in testing."
The Ravenna School District scored 17 out of a possible 30 points on its state report card, earning it the "continuous improvement" distinction. It missed the AYP mark in reading, as well as overall, but met the AYP in math.
Superintendent Tim Calfee said he is encouraged that Ravenna High School's graduation rate improved for the third consecutive year, from 82 percent in 2006 to 87 percent in 2008.
"We're continually working to improve the academic achievement of our students," he said. "We'd like to increase the number of indicators from the 17 this year, especially looking at the high school graduation tests for science and social studies. But, we're very happy that all of our schools have been rated effective or excellent."
Waterloo Superintendent Robert Wolf said he is very pleased with the academic performance of the students. Waterloo earned an "effective" rating, meeting 25 of the 30 indicators.
"There was some concern because we had certain students that hadn't been successful in the past," he said. "We worked hard to help these students."
The tests showed eighth-grade students had trouble in science and social studies and fifth-graders had problems with science.
"We will target that," Wolf said, adding the district already is reviewing its curriculum. "We will use professional development and see what we can do to help the students."
Also "pleasantly surprised" was Mogadore Superintendent Terry Byers.
"We maintained our effective rating," he said, adding the new feature on the report card " adequate yearly progress " helped the district maintain its effective rating.
Like many school districts across the state, the district wasn't proficient on the eighth-grade social studies test.
"It seemed everyone had difficulties with that test," Byers said. "Our math scores improved over the past two years although they're not where they should be."
The Field School District fell from its excellent rating of last year to effective with the district meeting 26 of 30 indicators, said Superintendent David Brobeck. Problems in the district are sixth- and eighth-grade social studies and fifth-grade math and science, he said.
Brobeck, who became superintendent earlier this month, said he didn't have enough background information to discuss past report cards.
"I talked with Dave Redd (the former superintendent), and he was disappointed there was a drop in scores," Brobeck said. "Statewide, folks have struggled with (the tests.)"
Brobeck also said the district will be working with the teachers to see what can be done to help the students.
"Our teachers want to help the students do better," he said. "We expect that."
The Stow-Munroe Falls School District earned "excellent with distinction." Superintendent Russ Jones said administrators and the board of education knew they would be close to earning the newly added category.
"The new measure takes into consideration the progress that's been made," he said. "Our subgroups have made significant progress."
There are 10 subgroups in the district. The most challenging, Jones said, were students on the individual education program, or IEP, and those for whom English is a second language.
The district met 28 of 30 indicators on the report card. "The only two we missed, we missed by fractions," said Jones, who attributed the district's success to focusing on academic achievement.
"Every time we contemplate a new program, we always ask ourselves, "How does this affect us academically?'" he said.
Andrew Hawkins, superintendent of the Rootstown School District, recently said the district narrowly missed an "excellent" rating. He said teachers will be working with students this year to earn the higher rating, adding that "in a district the size of ours, every student makes a difference."
The overall performance index for Crestwood was the highest ever, according to Superintendent Joe Iacano. The district met 23 of 30 indicators. Crestwood High School and middle school both were rated "excellent," and Crestwood Intermediate School once again was rated "effective." The district covering Mantua, Shalersville and Hiram missed AYP overall, missing it on reading scores but meeting AYP for math scores.
Streetsboro schools rated "effective," meeting 23 of 30 indicators. Windham schools were at the bottom of the county rankings, with only 7 of 30 indicators met and a designation of "continuous improvement."
Record-Courier staff writers Colin McEwen and Diane Smith contributed to this story.

6.	Posted by steelersrule13 August 26, 2008
	Well, imagine that. All of those people who said I should send my child to Windham, I laugh in their faces. He has never gone to Windham, his prior school was okay, but nothing like the one he is in now. Congrats to James A. Garfield. I knew I was making the right choice when I moved back to Portage County and decided to send my child to these schools. Every day it's something new to make me see I made the right decision..something a teacher does or says, something the school does, school functions, programs, administration, and last but not least. the states scores!! To all who are part of the James A. Garfield School District... Hats off to you!! Thank you for making this a great place to live and raise a family. And as for you WINDHAM Schools......I am embarassed to say...my alma mater.. I am so disappointed, this is embarassing. 7 out of 30!! The entire school district should be ashamed!! Would ya say... time to clean house??? Maybe out with everyone and all new??? This is sickening!!! And then people go on and write into to sound off and question why people like me are embarassed to say where they went to school. Well DUH, it's pretty self explanitory, don't ya think?? I'll give ya this much... it was no where this bad, or nothing like it is now when I went there, when I went to Windham (which is where I went all my life) I was proud to be a Bomber, and in some ways always will be. But I am more proud that I am a good parent who came out of that community and was smart enough not to send my child into that school district!! And again, WAY TO GO JAMES A. GARFIELD!!! So PROUD to say my son is a JAG student!!!

5.	Posted by savdi August 26, 2008
	I'm sorry but I think these score are meaningless. I am very glad that our district recently replaced our principals in the M.S. & H.S. so I'm looking forward to alot of positive changes in the everyday activities at our schools. It would be nice to hear all the parents I speak to have some positive feedback, but it hasn't happened in my 12 years with this district (not counting the fact I graduated from this school -- this is my children). There is to much acceptable peer pressure/violence and drugs in this district, and there is not way any administrator can tell me there is a zero tolerance for both because I know first hand the PREVIOUS administrative never did anything about about my children being assulted during school and the only thing that happened was the teacher that stood there watching and laughing got promoted -- that is the standing example of discipline at GMS & GHS. All the DARE and anti-drug programs didn't work because my children come home complaining about all the constant talk about drugs and teacher/administrators do nothing. I think it is time for a change in the BD. of ED at this District because the standing super. and board do nothing to change. Don't believe for one second your student is supervised while competing in or attending sporting events, you must trust your child to do the right thing, you cannot trust that teachers or administrators will step in to break up fights or inappropriate behavior. Again this rank is meaningless!! I wish the new principals the best of luck and hope you can make some positive changes in our district. We are a great community with alot of great kids all we can do is hope for improvement.