Fallsnewspress.com - Preliminary data proclaims Roberts first Falls school to be 'Excellent With Distinction'

by Ellin Walsh

Reporter

Cuyahoga Falls --For the first time in the district's history, one of its schools has attained the highest possible rating on the state report card, reports jubilant Superintendent Dr. Edwin S. Holland.

Roberts Middle School has been designated "Excellent With Distinction," and the district, overall, maintained the state's second highest designation, "Excellent," according to Holland.

Ohio's report card is an annual rating of schools and districts based on students' passage rates on statewide tests, graduation rates, attendance trends and other data. While the Ohio Department of Education was scheduled to officially release data on the 2009-10 state report card Aug. 27, Holland shared the district's scores in advance during the Aug. 23 Board of Education meeting. The ODE cautioned on its website that the information it had released on the 2009-10 state report card data is preliminary.

"We were thrilled with our results and we know that the Cuyahoga Falls community shares our excitement as well," Debra McNair, the district's director of Teaching and Learning, said.

"The best thing is that we've seen small, but significant, ... growth in all of our subgroups," Holland said, "... and we've seen it in every one of our buildings and that's the most exciting thing because, you know, if it continues to progress, every one of our buildings is going to be 'Excellent With Distinction,' soon."

Last year, the Cuyahoga Falls district met 24 out of 30 indicators on the state report card. This year, the state removed the social studies and writing requirements, McNair said, so there were 26 possible indicators to meet. On the 2009-10 report card, the district met 24 of the 26 indicators, according to the preliminary data, McNair reported. The district missed the fifth grade math indicator by 4 percent, she said, and the eighth grade science indicator by 4.9 percent.

Four of the district's buildings earned the "Excellent" rating, according to Holland: Cuyahoga Falls High School; Bolich Middle School; and Price and Preston Elementary Schools. Four buildings are rated "Effective," the superintendent said: DeWitt, Lincoln, Richardson and Silver Lake Elementaries. Falls High did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress indicator, Holland reported, although the district itself and its other schools did. AYP measures the progress of student subgroups, such as students with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency.

"We are very pleased to have met AYP in all subgroups," McNair said, "and our goal for this coming school year will be to continue focusing on strengthening the progress of each of our subgroups as we challenge all students at every level to demonstrate achievement."

School Board member Barb Gunter praised the progress Price and Preston elementaries have logged, saying, "They need a huge pat on their back for what they've done."

The hard work of staff, students and parents is paying off, according to the superintendent. "We're pretty excited about the future," Holland reported.

"As we all know, reaching Excellence is difficult," McNair said, "but maintaining that Excellent rating will be our challenge. We're striving to reach the Excellent with Distinction rating and the first step in making that happen is to meet all 26 of 26 indicators."

McNair, and Jim Zwisler, a curriculum and professional development consultant, will make an in-depth presentation on the district's performance on the state report card at the School Board's September meeting.

E-mail: ewalsh@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3908