Highland County districts, schools graded in annual state report cards
The Ohio Department of Education and Workplace Friday released the Ohio School Report Cards for the 2023-24 school year, with Highland County districts and individual schools graded on their achievements for the most recent academic year.
As was the case last year, “Traditional districts and schools receive an overall rating ranging from 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments, which are determined by five rated components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Early Literacy and Graduation,” the report card guide says. Districts are also measured on the College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness Component, but that “will not be rated and will not factor into the overall rating until the 2024-2025 school year at the earliest,” according to the Department of Education and Workforce.
Five-star ratings mean a district or school has “significantly exceeded” state standards; four-star ratings “exceed” standards; three-star ratings “meet” standards; two-star ratings mean the district or school “needs support to meet standards;” and one-star ratings mean the district or school “needs significant support to meet state standards.”
As a whole, Fairfield Local Schools led the way with four and a half stars. Hillsboro City Schools earned a four-star overall rating. Bright Local Schools and Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools were each given three and a half stars. Greenfield Exempted Village Schools received a three-star score.
For individual schools, ratings included:
— Five stars: Fairfield Middle School; Hillsboro Intermediate School.
— Four and a half stars: Fairfield High School; Greenfield Elementary.
— Four stars: Fairfield Elementary; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School.
— Three and a half stars: Bright Elementary; Buckskin Elementary; Hillsboro High School; Whiteoak High School.
— Three stars: Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro Middle School; Lynchburg-Clay High School; McClain High School; Rainsboro Elementary; Whiteoak Junior High School.
Below is a look at how Highland County districts and schools ranked in the different components graded in this year’s report cards.
• The Achievement “component represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall,” according to the Department of Education.
The Fairfield, Hillsboro and Lynchburg-Clay districts each earned four stars. Bright Local and Greenfield both received three.
School grades included:
— Five stars: Hillsboro Intermediate School.
— Four stars: Bright Elementary; Fairfield Elementary; Fairfield High School; Fairfield Middle School; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School.
— Three stars: Buckskin Elementary; Greenfield Elementary; Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro High School; Hillsboro Middle School; Lynchburg-Clay High School; McClain High School; Rainsboro Elementary; Whiteoak High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.
Included in Achievement is the Performance Index, which “measures the test results of every student, not just those who score proficient or higher.”
Fairfield achieved 91.6 points out of a possible 109.3 for an 83.9% performance index score. Hillsboro scored 90.9 points, for an 83.2%; Lynchburg-Clay met 90.7, for a 83%; Bright Local met 87.2, for a 79.8%; and Greenfield met 83, for a 75.9%.
• The Progress Component “measures the academic performance of students compared to expected growth on Ohio's State Tests,” the ODEW says.
Fairfield achieved five stars as a district. Hillsboro was awarded three stars. Greenfield and Lynchburg-Clay were both given two stars. Bright Local received one star.
For individual schools, ratings included:
— Five stars: Fairfield Middle School; Greenfield Elementary; Hillsboro Intermediate School,
— Four stars: Fairfield High School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary.
— Three stars: Buckskin Elementary; Fairfield Elementary; Hillsboro High School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School.
— Two stars: Bright Elementary; Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro Middle School; McClain High School; Rainsboro Elementary; Whiteoak High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.
— One star: Lynchburg-Clay High School.
• The Gap Closing component shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for our students in English language arts, math and graduation,” according to the ODE. “It also measures how schools are doing in supporting English learners to increase language proficiency, reducing chronic absenteeism for all students and identifying gifted students and providing gifted services.”
Both Fairfield and Hillsboro earned five stars as a district. Bright Local and Lynchburg-Clay were both given four stars. Greenfield received three stars.
Individual school scores included:
— Five stars: Fairfield High School; Fairfield Middle School; Greenfield Elementary; Hillsboro Intermediate School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School.
— Four stars: Fairfield Elementary; Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro High School; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay High School; Whiteoak High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.
— Three stars: Bright Elementary; Buckskin Elementary; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary; Rainsboro Elementary.
— Two stars: Hillsboro Middle School; McClain High School.
The component includes Annual Performance Goals, which “are established in six areas, and the performance of specific student subgroups are measured against the annual or long-term goals for each area. Goals are established for English Language Arts academic achievement and growth, Math academic achievement and growth, graduation, English learner language proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and gifted performance.”
Hillsboro scored 31 points out of a possible 48 for a 64.6% in annual performance goals, with a testing participation rate of 99.8%. Fairfield scored 25 out of 39, for a 64.1%, with a 99.9% testing participation rate. Lynchburg-Clay scored 24 out of 42, for a 57.1%, with 99.8% testing participation. Bright Local scored 18 of 36, for 50%, and their testing participation rate was 99.6%. Greenfield scored 16 out of 43, for a 37.2%, and their testing participation rate was 99.9%.
Chronic absenteeism, “defined as missing at least 10% of instructional time for any reason – excused or unexcused,” was also gauged. The annual performance goal for the 2023-2024 school year is 18.3%, according to the ODEW.
The percentages of students chronically absent in area districts included: Bright Local, 15.1%, Lynchburg-Clay, 16.6%; Fairfield, 17.4%; Greenfield, 17.9%; and Hillsboro, 32%.
According to the Department of Education and Workforce, “The Gifted Students indicator measures whether opportunity and performance expectations are being met for gifted students. [It] includes three elements: Gifted Performance Index, Gifted Progress, and Gifted Identification and Service.”
The goal for the five districts was a 97.5% Gifted Performance Index, which none of them met (Hillsboro, 96.2%; Lynchburg-Clay, 94.9%; Fairfield, 93.4%; Bright Local, 93.2%; Greenfield, 91.8%). The Gifted Progress goal was three stars, which was met by Fairfield, Hillsboro and Lynchburg-Clay. Greenfield had one star, and Bright Local’s could not be calculated.
Only Hillsboro exceeded their Gifted Identification and Service goal of 80%, earning a 82.3%. Other scores were Lynchburg-Clay, 76.7% Fairfield, 70.4%; Bright Local, 66.7%; and Greenfield, 65%.
• Early Literacy “is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.”
All five county districts received three stars overall.
For Greenfield, which has three elementary schools, their individual grades were: Buckskin Elementary, three stars; Greenfield Elementary, three stars; and Rainsboro Elementary, two stars.
For the Early Literacy Component, which “examines the effectiveness of the reading and literacy supports provided to children in kindergarten through third grade,” the Lynchburg-Clay district earned a 77%; Bright Local had a 74.9%, the Fairfield and Hillsboro districts both received a 73.3%; and the Greenfield district averaged a 70.1%.
• Graduation “is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.”
Bright Local and Fairfield led the way with five stars. Hillsboro, Greenfield and Lynchburg-Clay each earned four stars.
For the Graduation Component Rating, which “is assigned based on the weighted graduation rate [that] combines the four- and five-year graduation rates into a single rate,” Bright Local had a perfect 100%; Fairfield received a 96.5%; Lynchburg-Clay earned a 95.5%; Hillsboro received a 95.2%; and Greenfield earned a 94.8%.
• Also measured, but not graded, is the College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness Component, which gauges “how well-prepared Ohio's students are for all future opportunities, whether training in a technical field or preparing for work or college.”
Bright Local led the county with a 98.2%, while Fairfield had a 77.4%; Lynchburg-Clay earned a 67.1%; Hillsboro received a 59.1%; and Greenfield had a 52.9%.
More details and ratings for each district and individual school can be viewed at: https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov.
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