Westlake Schools Get Mixed Grades From the State, Blast Testing Standards

WESTLAKE, OH - The school district has received mix marks on report cards issued by the Ohio Department of Education. In a statement today, the district criticized the state's testing standards and the number of state tests being administered to students, saying they were a "misrepresentation of the learning and achievement taking place in our classrooms."

The Ohio Department of Education grades districts on six categories: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, Prepared for Success, and K-3 Literacy.

The Achievement category measures the number of students who passed the state's tests and how well they performed on those tests. Progress is based on how students have developed based on their past performance. Gap Closing is based off a school district's ability to help groups of students the state has deemed to be the "most vulnerable." Graduation Rate is based on the percentage of students successfully graduating after four or five years. Prepared for Success is graded on how well students are prepared for college or a technical career. Finally, K-3 Literacy Rate is based on how successful the schools are at getting struggling readers up to speed.

Westlake's grades were:

• Achievement - B
• Progress - F
• Gap Closing - C
• Graduation Rate - A
• Prepared for Success - B
• K-3 Literacy - D

In a statement sent out today by Kim Bonvissuto, the district's communications coordinator, Westlake Schools said the "state's measurement system is not reflective of our expectations as a district."

"Many high achieving school districts, including Westlake, are seeing much lower grades on this year’s report card than in years past," the statement says. "It’s important to know that the report card is just one snapshot into a school district and does not accurately represent the quality learning and teaching going on in our schools."

Westlake did improve in two categories versus last year, Graduation Rate and Prepared for Success. The district also scored in the top 15 percent of schools statewide on their Performance Index, which is factored into the Achievement grade.

"Westlake, like other school districts, has been working to adjust to an increase in the number of state tests given each year, higher cut scores, three different tests in three years, online testing issues and a lower than the required 95% participation rate on state tests," the statement says.

The statement added that while the district disagrees with the state's testing methods, it will reflect on the data and grades presented and look for way to improve.

The state's test scores also came under criticism from Solon School District's Superintendent Joseph Regano. He cautioned that the state accountability system has serious flaws when so few districts and students statewide are showing improving results. Due to the continuing changes in the assessment system and dramatic ramping up of cut scores on those assessments each year, the results are losing important context, he said.

“Rigor is important to ensure students are prepared for college and the workforce,” he says. “The standards focus on the most important concepts, issues and ideas as well as ways of communicating, reasoning and investigating within each subject area. We just need the assessment system to appropriately measure this learning for all students.”

Photo from the Ohio Department of Education