ASHLAND — The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released the state’s school report cards Friday, which assess school districts’ achievements from the past school year.
Report cards give schools star rankings, with a maximum ranking of five stars available. Districts meet state performance standards with rankings of three stars.
Districts’ rankings take an average of five different categories:
- Achievement
- Progress
- Gap closing
- Graduation
- Early literacy
The report cards also include an assessment of students’ college, career, military and workforce readiness. Those assessments measure how ready students are for next steps, but do not factor into schools’ overall ratings.
“This year, nearly 90% of districts earned overall ratings of three stars or higher, meaning they met state expectations for performance,” stated a press release from Ohio Ed Updates about the report cards.
Local school districts’ report card showings
Each public school district in Ashland County received a rating of three or more stars, indicating they meet the state’s standards.
The Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center and Ashland County Community Academy also received state report cards. Both those districts receive different report cards than a typical public school district, with different ranking systems.
Check Out Past Report Card Results
Ashland City Schools
This year, Ashland City Schools received an overall rating of 3.5 out of five stars. That breakdown by categories was the following:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 2 stars
- Gap closing: 4 stars
- Graduation: 5 stars
- Early literacy: 3 stars
Steve Paramore, superintendent of Ashland City Schools, said the report card ratings reflect a four-day period out of the school year where students take state tests.
“It doesn’t measure nurturing and to me, that’s a huge part of what public schools do,” Paramore said.
He said the progress score likely pulled the district’s overall score down. Still, Paramore said he feels his district is in a good spot and remains committed to students’ achievement and growth.
To him, this year’s report card compared to the last two shows consistency on the part of his district.
He added the district has been ahead of the curve implementing the science of reading into its curriculum.
“We’re proud of the work our teachers do and we’re proud of the effort our teachers give,” Paramore said.
Hillsdale Local Schools
Hillsdale Local Schools’ overall rating this year sat at 4 stars. The ratings in each category were:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 3 stars
- Gap closing: 4 stars
- Graduation: 4 stars
- Early literacy: 4 stars
Catherine Trevathan, the superintendent of Hillsdale Local Schools, said she feels good about the district’s 4-star rating.
“This is a great place for learning, and our students and staff are finding quite a bit of success,” Trevathan said.
“We will continue to strive to increase our success, and the goal for Hillsdale is to get to that 5-star rating. We have some work to do, but we are up for the challenge in providing the best education possible.”
Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools
Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools received a 4-star rating in this year’s report cards. Its ratings in each category were the following:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 2 stars
- Gap closing: 4 stars
- Graduation: 5 stars
- Early literacy: 4 stars
Supt. Jennifer Allerding said she was proud the district moved from an overall 3-star rating last year, to a 4-star rating this year.
“Although there are many areas of success on our 2023-2024 report card, we need to improve in the areas of gifted, progress, and with content areas — all of which are areas of focus currently,” Allerding said.
“I am proud of the work that has been done and the growth we have seen but there is more work to do. We must continue our work in updating curriculum and implementing research-based instruction in the classroom that engages students and impacts our students positively to increase academic performance.
“I am excited about the 2024-2025 school year and look forward to another year of positively impacting our children — in and out of the classroom.”
Mapleton Local Schools
Overall, Mapleton Local Schools’ score on this year’s report card stands at 3 stars. The breakdown by categories was:
- Achievement: 3 stars
- Progress: 2 stars
- Gap closing: 2 stars
- Graduation: 5 stars
- Early literacy: 3 stars
Ashland County-West Holmes Career and Technical Planning District
The Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center is rated based on a different set of federal and statewide indicators than a traditional district.
According to the Ohio state report card site, the school receives marks of performance, or measures, within categories called components. There are six measures and four components the center is judged based on.
The Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center received 5 stars out of five possible stars on its report card. Its scores on each of four components were as follows:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Graduation rate: 5 stars
- Career and post-secondary readiness: 5 stars
- Post-program outcomes: 5 stars
It also met nine out of nine federal indicators.
Ashland County Community Academy
The Ashland County Community Academy receives a dropout prevention and recovery report card, which differs from the typical report card. Schools receiving that report card earn ratings for eight measures and four components.
The Ashland County Community Academy received an overall rating of “Exceeds standards.” For the four components, the school received the following marks:
- Achievement component: Meets standards
- Progress: Exceeds standards
- Gap closing: Meets standards
- Graduation rate: Exceeds standards
Dr. Donne Copenhaver took over as superintendent of Ashland County Community Academy Aug. 1. Still, Copenhaver said he’s pleased the academy met and exceeded standards.
“… the rest of the administrative and teaching staff at ACCA plan to keep meeting and exceeding these standards by bringing high-quality, research-supported policies, practices, and programming to the school,” Copenhaver said.
“Perhaps now more than ever, there is a clear case for alternative educational options for students in our area who, for whatever reason, are not succeeding or engaging in their current school, and I want ACCA to be a leader in providing individualized, authentic, and empowering educational opportunities and experiences for these students and families.”
