Perrysburg Schools again received an "excellent" rating on its annual report card released last week by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).
The district met 29 of 30 state indicators in the 2006-07 school year, which are based on passing rates for students taking achievement tests, attendance and graduation rates.
This was the same rating Perrysburg has received for the past several years. Excellent is the highest in the rating system used by ODE, followed by effective, continuous improvement, academic watch and academic emergency.
The one indicator that the district did not meet was a 59.8 percent passing rate for the eighth-grade social studies achievement test, and the state requirement is 75 percent.
Perrysburg's student attendance rate last year was 96.6 percent-nearly identical to the previous year at 96.5 percent. The district has an average daily student enrollment of 4,103.
The district's graduation rate last year was 97.3 percent, which met the state requirement of 90 percent.
Building Scores
Each building in a school district also is given a rating by ODE, and the six Perrysburg buildings-Toth, Frank, Woodland and Fort Meigs Elementaries, Perrysburg Junior High and High School-each were ranked as excellent.
Toth, Woodland, Fort Meigs and the high school met all of the state indicators.
The junior high met nine of 10 state indicators, missing the 75 percent state requirement for the eighth-grade social studies achievement test, which only had a 59.5 percent passing rate.
Frank met eight of 10 indicators with only a 74.6 percent passing rate for the fifth-grade science achievement test, and 66.2 percent for the fifth-grade social studies achievement test. The state requirement is 75 percent.
Statewide Trends
Overall student performance in Ohio has continued to improve, according to results released by the ODE.
"Overall results show we are moving in the right direction," said Susan Tave Zelman, superintendent of public instruction. "Teachers work hard every day to provide a quality education to our students, and these test results provide a snapshot of their efforts."
Most districts and schools maintained the rating they earned in 2005-06. Eight out of 10 districts are excellent or effective, and for the second year in a row, Ohio has no district in academic emergency.
Ohio's graduation rate for 2005-06 (the most recent year of available data) is 86.1 percent, one-tenth of one percent lower than the 2004-05 rate. This rate remains higher than earlier years.
Students are tested in reading and mathematics in grades three through eight, in science and social studies in grades five and eight, and in writing in grades four and seven. These are in addition to the five Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) subjects.
In mathematics, students made a second year of overall gains. For example, the percent of students proficient in mathematics increased by 9.6 points in third grade and 8 points in seventh grade.
Reading scores improved overall, following two years of flat scores. For example, the percent of students proficient in reading increased by 5 points in fifth grade. However, declines in scores in grades six and seven spotlight the need for continued attention to middle school reading programs.
Gaps in achievement between groups of students -based on race, poverty, gender, disability and language background-continue to be one of the greatest challenges for both Ohio and the nation.
The encouraging news for Ohio is that when 2005-06 and 2006-07 performance is compared, gaps in achievement narrowed.
Six years ago, Ohio law did not allow the specific reporting of test data for all groups of students. In 2001, a change in law required the state to report results by race, ethnicity, disability status, economic level, language background and gender. Ohio's accountability system measures current achievement as well as improvement, and incorporates the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
In 2002, NCLB required states to hold schools and districts accountable for the achievement of each student group, including the major racial and ethnic groups, low income students, limited English proficient students and students with disabilities.
AYP measures whether schools and districts have gaps in achievement among groups of students. Schools and districts are required to meet annual goals, with the intent that all students will reach proficient levels in reading and mathematics by the 2013-14 school year.
