15 Hillsboro City Schools students earn perfect state test scores; district celebrates state report card success
Students who received one or more perfect scores on the 2023 Ohio state assessment tests were recognized at Monday’s Hillsboro City Schools board meeting. Students pictured (l-r) are Kaydence Butler and Malachi Powell (fifth grade math); Amaiah Gaston, Blaine Gard, Evelyn Huchinson, Myla Jordan and Jase Miller (all fourth grade math); Valeria Mota Ayala (third grade math and ELA); Darcee Wolf (third grade ELA); and Austin Inman (fifth grade math, science and ELA). Pictured in the back row (l-r) are superintendent Tim Davis; board members Tom Milbery, Beverly Rhoads, Bill Myers, Jerry Walker, Larry Lyons and Maddisen Mikkelsen. (HCP Photos/Caitlin Forsha)
It was standing room only Monday, Sept. 18 at the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting, where district superintendent Tim Davis recognized 15 students who received one or more perfect scores on the 2023 Ohio state assessment tests.
“I wanted to have the opportunity to invite our students who had perfect scores on the state tests last year,” Davis said. “There's also some students that got multiple perfect scores.”
Each student in attendance Monday received a certificate from Davis in recognition of their perfect test scores as well as their own round of applause.
Earning perfect scores on three tests was Austin Inman, who received a 100 on the fifth grade math, science and English language arts (ELA) assessments.
Valeria Mota Ayala was recognized for perfect scores on two tests, third grade math and ELA.
Also honored during Monday’s meeting were
• Kaydence Butler, fifth grade math;
• Blaine Gard, fourth grade math;
• Amaiah Gaston, fourth grade math;
• Evelyn Huchinson, fourth grade math;
• Myla Jordan, fourth grade math;
• Jase Miller, fourth grade math;
• Malachi Powell, fifth grade math; and
• Darcee Wolf, third grade ELA.
“Keep up the great work,” Davis told them. “You make Hillsboro very proud.”
Other perfect test scorers recognized, but not present to accept their certificates, included:
• Rush Abernathy, fifth grade math and ELA;
• Carson Lyon, fourth grade math;
• Allie Roush, high school geometry;
• Grant Shepard, eighth grade Algebra I; and
• Silas Steele, fourth grade math.
Davis continued to discuss the state tests, as well as the district’s grades in the Ohio School Report Cards, later in the meeting during his report to the board.
“I’m just extremely proud of our students, for the amount of kids that did extremely well on the tests, let alone perfect on the scores,” he said.
As previously reported, the 2022-23 Ohio School Report Cards were released Thursday, Sept. 14. As a whole, Hillsboro City Schools received a four-star rating out of five possible stars.
Overall school grades included Hillsboro Intermediate School, five stars; Hillsboro Primary School, four stars; and Hillsboro Early Childhood Center, Hillsboro High School and Hillsboro Middle School, three and a half stars.
At the August meeting, Davis said that the district was “20 out of 20 above the state average” in test scores for a third year in a row, and at that time, he reported 11 of 20 were 70 percent or higher and four areas that were 80 percent or higher. On Monday, he said that updated data showed even better results.
“Some of the test scores came back, and we actually did better, so we had 13 out of 20 that were 70 percent or higher,” Davis said. “We had six subject areas instead of four reach 80 percent, so again, we got two more when the numbers for kids that count [for HCS were added].
“Fourth grade math, fifth grade ELA, fifth grade math, fifth grade science, seventh grade ELA and then American/U.S. history in the high school reached 80 percent. Our Algebra I scores for eighth graders were 100 percent with 56 kids passing.”
The superintendent thanked all of the district staff, students and families for their continued excellent work.
“It takes everybody in the district to make this stuff happen, the success, whether it's bus drivers, cooks,” Davis said. “Everybody plays an important role, and it's just a total district effort.
“I’m extremely proud of all of our employees, and I'm even more proud of our students for the time that they put in and the effort that they give on these assessments. I just want to thank our students and our staff for the great job and to keep up the good work.”
In his report at the end of the meeting, board president Bill Myers also thanked Davis for his role in the district’s success.
“Kudos to you and your leadership,” Myers said. “You came in here seven years ago with very aggressive ideas and a plan, and you have fulfilled that. We continue to see our district driving forward, to the point where we're outranking several of our area schools, and a big testimony to that is our students and our staff, but also Mr. Davis, who's leading us in that, and the parents that help support our district.”
Check back to highlandcountypress.com for more from Monday’s meeting.
