See How Shaker Schools Scored On State Report Cards

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — The controversial state report cards, released by the Ohio Department of Education, were released last week, including the report card for Shaker Heights Schools. The report cards grade school districts in six key areas, issuing them letter grades for their performance (similar to a student's report card in history class).

The report cards have been criticized for their narrow view point and constantly shifting standards. Members of the state board told Patch they've tried to be more conscientious of these objections while continuing to tweak the metrics used to gauge district performance.

"We believe strongly in accountability, and we believe testing can be a valuable tool to diagnose what we are doing well and identify areas in which we can improve. That’s why we have developed our own set of metrics – to measure how we are doing and how we can do better by our students. While we believe that test scores matter, they are just one of many ways to measure achievement," said Scott Stephens, a spokeperson for Shaker Schools.

"It’s important to remember that the State Report Card is based on one snapshot taken months ago. It’s our belief that one data point does not define [the] richness of a Shaker Heights education or the quality of our students, our teachers or our administrators. Neither our students nor are staff should be defined by a test score," Stephens told Patch in an email.

Here's how Shaker Heights Schools graded out:

• Achievement: D
• Progress: D
• Gap Closing: B
• Graduation Rate: A
• Improving At-risk Readers: C
• Preparation for Success: D

See the full report card by clicking here.

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