This school year brings many exciting changes to the Mineral Point School District. This year also brings changes to the way districts themselves are evaluated by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
This year’s School Report Card will be accompanied by a new District Report Card. The DPI will issue a District Report Card for our district and for each district in Wisconsin. Both report cards are now available online at the DPI website.
Similar to the School Report Card, the District Report Card provides valuable information on how our district is performing and where it can improve. It provides us with a broader, district-wide perspective that supplements and enriches the information found in each School Report Card. The School and District Report Cards are intended to help all districts get a better picture of how well they prepare students to graduate ready for college and career.
The District Report Cards are calculated for the district as a whole. In other words, these report cards treat the district as if it were “one big school” responsible for all students in the district. District Report Cards look very similar to the School Report Cards with one primary exception: District Report Cards include both attendance and graduation scores.
Here is how the report cards work. Each public school and district earns an overall accountability score, from 0 to 100. This score is displayed in the top left corner of the School or District Report Cards. It is important to note that the 0 to 100 accountability score is not a “percent correct” measurement. The score is based on our 2012-13 performance in the following four priority areas:
- Student Achievement proficiency in reading and mathematics on state assessments
- Student Growth measured by year-to-year improvements in achievement
- Closing Gaps in performance between specific student groups (comparing English language learners, low-income students, students with disabilities, and members of a racial or an ethnic group with their peers)
- On-Track and Postsecondary Readiness is a measurement using reliable predictors of high school graduation and potential post high school success
Schools and districts are also evaluated on their test participation rates, chronic absenteeism rates, and dropout rates when applicable. These are measures of student engagement. Based on our scores, our district and schools were placed into one of five categories, from Fails to Meet Expectations to Significantly Exceeds Expectations.
Our school’s 2012-13 overall scores were: Elementary school 72.5 with rating that meets expectations, Middle school 70.3 with rating meets expectations, and high school 74.3 with rating exceeds expectations.
Our district’s 2012-13 overall score was 69.7 with rating meets expectations.
The School and District Report Cards will be issued every year. Individual student results on state assessments will continue to be reported separately. DPI has produced two versions of each Report Card: one labeled “School Report Card” and lengthier version, “School Report Card Detail,” with extensive information about the data used in the report cards. Both versions can be accessed online at http://acct.dpi.wi.gov/acct_accountability.
The report cards are one part of a statewide accountability system for schools. The State Superintendent, Governor, legislative leaders, and DPI staff worked closely with parents, educators, and members of the business community to develop the system. The U.S. Department of Education has reviewed the recent changes to the accountability system. Both the accountability system and the report cards will continue to improve and evolve in future years as more data becomes available.
I am confident that these report cards, as well as many other changes being implemented throughout our state, will help our school/district identify our strengths and continue to address our challenges. Please let me know your thoughts and questions as they arise.
I look forward to working with you to make 2013-14 a successful school year for your child!