Article published August 25, 2009
Start, Toledo district improve in state report cards
BLADE STAFF
Toledo's Start High School is the first comprehensive high school in the city to reach the excellent rating on the state report cards.
Start increased two spots to be rated excellent, an A grade, for the 2008-09 school year, when it was "continuous improvement," a C, the year before.
A total of five Toledo Public Schools buildings received the excellent rating - Start, Toledo Early College High School, Toledo Technology Academy, and Harvard and Elmhurst elementary schools.
As a district, TPS maintained the continuous improvement rating it had last year.
"We are making incremental improvement in the district as we move forward," Superintendent John Foley said during a new conference at Start interrupted several times by excited applause. "It's a team effort to make progress in this district and we have a great team."
Overall the district had 14 schools improve and seven decline, including two small schools at Scott and Libbey that were closed at the end of last school year.
The district saw the most growth in its math scores.
The suburban districts maintain strong ratings on the report cards.
Perrysburg and Sylvania school districts rated "excellent with distinction," the new highest rating that is the equivalent of an A plus, for the second year in a row.
Maumee dropped in score from that "excellent with distinction" category for 2007-08 to "effective," a B grade for the 2008-09 school year.
Oregon is rated "effective" for the second year in a row.
The Ohio Department of Education released Tuesday the report cards that grade each district and individual school across the state.
And statewide, it appears schools and districts are getting better.
There are 116 districts rated "excellent with distinction" for the 2008-09 school year, the state's highest rating. That is up from 74 last year when that category was first created.
More districts and schools across the state also were rated "excellent" for last school year.
"Educators continue to help students achieve at higher levels and, in many cases, surpass the rigorous academic standards that have been laid before them," Deborah Delisle, superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement. "More districts have earned a rating of effective or higher on their 2008-09 report cards than in previous years."
According to the state education department, more than 85 percent of districts and nearly 72 percent of schools received an effective or higher rating.
There is one district rated "academic emergency," the lowest grade, and 223 schools in that category.
The ratings are based on how students did on the Ohio Achievement Tests administered in the spring.
The tests include reading and math in grades three through eight, science and social studies in grades five and eight, and writing in grades four and seven. It also includes the Ohio Graduation Tests, which are given to students in tenth grade and include reading, mathematics, writing, science, and social studies.
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