The Washington Court House City School (WCHCS) District was rated three-and-a-half out of five stars, according to the recent 2023 Ohio School Report Card overall rating.
According to the Ohio School Report Card website, a “three-and-a-half” rating “meets state standards.”
The Ohio General Assembly amended Ohio’s accountability law in the summer of 2021. Schools and districts now receive an overall rating and star ratings for five components. Report Cards are designed to give parents, communities, educators and policymakers information about the performance of districts and schools — to celebrate achievement and success and identify areas for improvement.
“I am very proud of the hard work of the Washington Court House City School District faculty and staff to educate our Blue Lions,” said WCHCS Superintendent Dr. Tom Bailey. “I am pleased with the fact that our report card continually reflects an increase in student achievement over the past several years. This year, we once again realized an increase in our performance index which indicates that individually, our students are increasing their own achievement from year to year on the Ohio State Assessments. It wasn’t that many years ago that the district’s performance index was in the 60% range and this year the district crossed 75%.”
Districts and schools receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments. The overall rating is comprised of five rated components.
WCHCS earned the following individual component ratings:
Achievement – 3 stars
This component represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall. Earning three stars means that the district meets state standards in academic achievement.
Progress – 2 stars
This component looks closely at the growth all students are making based on their past performances. Earning two stars means that there is significant evidence that the district fell short of student growth expectations.
Gap Closing – 5 stars
The Gap Closing Component is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps for student subgroups. Earning five stars means that the district significantly exceeds state standards in closing educational gaps.
Graduation – 4 stars
The Graduation Component is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. Earning four stars means that the district exceeds state standards in graduation rates.
Early Literacy – 2 stars
The Early Literacy Component is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade. Earning two stars means that the district needs support to meet state standards in early literacy (K-3).
Bailey spoke about some of the component ratings.
“Our highest rated component is that of Gap Closing, which is five stars. Washington Court House City Schools is pleased to educate students in our subgroups in a way that allows the gap in achievement between the subgroup students and the overall student population to be closed. Another area that we have excelled at this year is the achievement of our students who are identified as gifted. I truly believe the efforts of more gifted intervention specialists, as well as new and exciting programs for our gifted students have propelled us forward in this area.
“The State Report Card gives us some valuable data, however, there is so much more data that we, as a district, collects which helps paint the picture of Washington Court House City Schools. Our teachers are doing amazing things each and every day and I am so proud of them. The fact is that we are a small district that prides itself on small class sizes, relationships with our students and a true family atmosphere. We do so much more than just teach.”
He finished, “I am really pleased with our 3.5 stars overall and I am so excited to see how we grow these stars in the future. There is a bright future for Washington Court House City Schools with all the exciting and new ways we are educating our students.”
