OLIVESBURG — Crestview Local Schools, which also spans into Ashland County, retained its overall rating of 3.5 stars, up from three stars two years ago when Ohio released its state report card results this week.
“We are proud of the progress we’ve made, especially in literacy, and confident in the ability of our staff and leadership team to continue raising the bar,” Supt. Jim Grubbs said.
Every fall, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce releases its Ohio School Report Cards for public schools, including traditional and community schools, career tech districts and dropout recovery programs.
ODEW released its report cards for the 2024-2025 school year on Monday.
All nine of Richland County’s traditional public school districts received at least a three-star rating, meaning they met or exceeded state standards. All four career tech districts serving those schools earned top marks.
The Ohio School Report Cards include six components, which are rated on a one- to five-star scale with half-star increments.
One star means a district needs significant support to meet state standards. Three stars means a district has met expectations. Five stars means a district has significantly exceeded expectations.
Grubbs emphasized that while the report card is an important metric, it’s also a limited one due to the significant impact of standardized test scores.
“A single test on a single day cannot capture everything a student knows or can do. Students bring unique social and emotional needs with them each day, and many factors can affect performance,” he said.
“Our teachers use a variety of assessment tools that give us a more timely and complete picture of student learning than the state report card alone. Still, we take this report very seriously, and we are committed to continued growth.”
What each component means
Achievement is a measure of how well students performed on state tests.
Progress is a measure of the growth students are making based on their past performance.
Gap Closing is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps among students of different races, ones with special needs and those from economically disadvantaged families.
Graduation is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.
Early Literacy is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.
College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness is a measure of how prepared Ohio’s students are for future opportunities, whether training in a technical field or preparing for work or college.
How Crestview’s scores broke down
Crestview’s overall district rating for the 2024-2025 broke down as follows:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 1 star
- Gap Closing: 4 stars
- Graduation: 5 stars
- Early Literacy: 3 stars
- College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness: 3 stars
“Crestview advanced from near the bottom to third place among 20 demographically similar districts in improving reading skills for at-risk students. This success reflects the dedication and expertise of Crestview’s elementary teachers,” Grubbs said.
“While rated at 3 stars (in early literacy), Crestview saw a 9-point increase this year and is less than half a point away from earning 4 stars.”
Grubb’s also highlighted the district’s low rate of chronic absenteeism — 12.2 percent, according to the report card.
“We need to continue as a district to make a focused effort to improve in the area of Early Literacy as those literacy skills developed in the early grades are foundational for school success and for each student’s future after graduation.”
Grubbs said the district has identified opportunities for growth.
“To strengthen this area, the district will be working with Steve Short from State Support Team 7, a recognized leader in analyzing report card data, to guide the district’s improvement efforts,” he said.
At the building level, Crestview High School received a 3.5 star rating. Crestview Elementary and Crestview Middle School each received a four star rating.
This year’s report cards include new post-secondary readiness metric
This is the first year report cards have a rating for the College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness (CCWMR) component. Previous versions of the report card included data, but not a rating.
“Crestview received three stars in this area, though district leaders believe this number does not fully reflect the strong participation of students in programs that prepare them for life after graduation,” Grubbs said.
According to Grubbs, almost half of Crestview juniors and seniors are enrolled in career tech programs, where many earn industry-recognized credentials and complete workforce readiness programs.
He also said a large number of Crestview students participate in College Credit Plus, taking college-level courses during high school and earning simultaneous high school and college credit.
“The district will review its reporting process to ensure that all student successes are fully represented in future report cards,” Grubbs said.
