COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Education released additional preliminary Local Report Card data for school districts on Oct. 17 which shows the majority of local districts being rated Excellent with Distinction.

This action comes after the state Board of Education approved a recommendation on Oct. 9 from Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Sawyers to release an updated spreadsheet for the 2011-12 Local Report Cards.

“During the last few weeks, ODE employees have worked diligently to upload and verify remaining data for school improvement purposes,” Sawyers said in a release. “As we wait for additional information related to the investigation by the Auditor of State, ODE remains committed to sharing existing data so that students, parents, educators and the public can be informed about the progress of our schools.”

Schools and districts have had access to preliminary student achievement data on standardized assessments throughout the summer, the release states. The August release of Local Report Cards was delayed by the State Board of Education because of an ongoing investigation by the auditor into allegations of data manipulation by some school districts.

Bellefontaine City, Benjamin Logan and Indian Lake were all rated Excellent with Distinction, while West Liberty-Salem was rated Excellent and Riverside was rated Effective.

“We are extremely proud of our student achievement and the dedication and efforts from all staff to achieve this meritorious ranking,” said Indian Lake Superintendent Pat O’Donnell. Excellent with Distinction is the highest state ranking to be awarded to school districts throughout the state of Ohio. This is the highest ranking our district has ever achieved.

“We want to thank the community for their continued support and sending great kids to our schools. It is our hope to continue to provide excellent educational opportunities for our students. Therefore, the levy on the ballet Nov. 6 is crucial to maintain an Excellent with Distinction school district in the future, especially since significant reductions in funding from the state is an annual occurrence,” he added.

The Performance Index on the report card reflects the achievement of every student enrolled for the full academic year. It is a weighted average that includes all tested subjects and grades and untested students. It results in a scale of 0-120.

The PI for local districts is as follows: Bellefontaine - 98, Ben Logan - 101.2, Indian Lake - 99.4, Riverside - 95.9, WL-S - 104.9.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a federally required measure and includes goals set for reading and math proficiency and participation, attendance rate and graduation rate. A district either meets or does not meet AYP due to several indicators.

Indian Lake and WL-S both met AYP while the other districts did not. The preliminary attendance rates for districts are as follows: Bellefontaine - 95.6, Ben Logan - 95.9, Indian Lake - 95.5, Riverside - 94.9, WL-S - 95.6.

The Value-Added rating represents the progress a district has made with its students since the previous school year. A score of “Above” indicates greater than one year of progress has been achieve, “Met” indicates one year of progress and “Below” indicates less than one year of progress has been achieved.

Bellefontaine, Ben Logan and Indian Lake were rated above Value-Added, while Riverside and WL-S met Value-Added.

“When I learned of our Excellent with Distinction district and building rating, I was extremely elated,” said ILES Principal Molly Hall. “I am so proud of our students and our staff. Their hard work and dedication continue to amaze me. This rating is just another reason why I am proud to be an Indian Lake Laker.” 

The ODE will not publish the official Local Report Cards until the investigation by the auditor of state is concluded or as otherwise agreed upon by the state board of education, according to the ODE release. 

The information released on Oct. 17 is considered preliminary and remains subject to revision. The spreadsheet with all of this information can be found on the ODE website at www.ode.state.oh.us under the Accountability tab.