MOUNT VERNON — Public schools in the area are celebrating their achievements as reported on the 2007-08 school district report cards. All of the districts received an “effective” designation, with the exception of Johnstown-Monroe, which earned an excellent rating.
Johnstown’s superintendent, Damien Bawn, said he and his staff were very pleased to see the results on the district report card. He said the excellent designation reflects the dedication of each and every member of the community of learners and the steadfast determination of the staff to succeed.
“It takes the synergy of all the good people involved — the people who provide the learning opportunities, all who provide the allied supports, and those members of our community who give to help us achieve — to make a real difference, touch the lives of our students in such positive ways, and have such a magnificent impact on the future,” he said. “The success of our efforts comes not so much from individual programs or changes, but from working together as a system through a process of continuous improvement and with a common objective. Our purpose is, through an effective public education, to make life better for our students, our community and our world.”
Northridge was one of only two school districts in Licking County to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress on this year’s report card, and also met 26 of 30 indicators. Indicators include attendance rates, graduation rates, and the percentage of students reaching proficient or above on the state achievement tests and Ohio Graduation Tests. All of the schools received an effective rating, except the high school, which was rated excellent.
Despite being “very happy” with the report card, Northridge Superintendent John Shepard said the district will spend a lot of time and resources analyzing the data to target assistance to those students not performing proficient or above.
“Parents can help,” he said, “by reviewing the individual school report cards issued by the state. Parents can access the report cards through the Ohio Department of Education Web site or at www.reportcard.ohio.gov. The data on their child’s report card offer suggestions to help increase student achievement. Working together with teachers and schools, parents can now have an active role in their child’s success on these standardized tests.”
John Marschhausen, superintendent of the East Knox Local School District, expressed congratulations to teachers and staff on a job well done in preparing the students for the state assessments.
“We have not reached all our goals,” he said, “but we are clearly headed in the right direction. We must take time to celebrate our accomplishment, reflect on what is working well, and improve on areas that don’t yet meet our expectations.”
Highland’s superintendent, Tim Hilborn, and the administration also congratulated their students for their achievements.
“The information provided by the grade card,” he said, “provides an external monitor of our work as it aligns to the Ohio Academic Content Standards. Our teachers take this work very seriously and have done an excellent job of providing our students the opportunities to be successful on these assessments.”
Hilborn and the other superintendents, while celebrating the outstanding ratings, also note that the report cards represent only an aspect of the total the educational picture.
“Putting too much weight on these assessments is not an appropriate way to measure a student or a school,” said Hilborn.
As Marschhausen put it, “We are not simply an assessment preparation district. We mold and influence kids in a plethora of ways each and every day. We build confidence and encourage exploration. We teach students how to learn, not just simple facts. We encourage healthy lifestyles and provide emotional support. ... We must celebrate all the other areas we make a difference in the lives of kids.”
