By Wayne Gates
The recent grades for local schools released by the Ohio Department of Education are highlighting a system nobody seems happy with.
Many schools feel the way that the letter grades are determined make it difficult to achieve an A or even a B. Meanwhile parents who see a series of D‘s and F‘s from their local school are questioning the quality of the education of their children.
As reported in the Oct. 10 News Democrat, the overall grades for four of the five school systems in Brown County was a C. The Fayetteville School District received a D.
Nick Owens is the local representative to the Ohio State Board of Education.
He discussed the issue in an exclusive interview with The News Democrat.
“The report card system has been a point of contention since it was unveiled. A lot of the components of the report card are required because of state and federal accountability. It’s a very complicated process,” said Owens.
“We have had continuous discussions for at least the last two years to make adjustments to the report card to more accurately reflect the performance of the districts. Every day that it’s not changed is a day too long.”
Owens said many of the grades seem to come down to the resources available to a district.
“One of the biggest concerns that I have is that the way it stands now, the report card is a direct reflection of the wealth of a school district,” he said.
“If you look at all the districts statewide that got an A and all of the districts that got an F, you will find that all the districts that got an A were extremely wealthy districts and all the districts that got an F were extremely poor districts.”
Owens also said that the local results aren’t all bad.
“There are some bright spots and things to be proud of in each district, but when you put a overall label on a district and say ‘This district is a C, D or an F, it creates problems.”
Owens also said the system makes it hard for many districts to succeed on paper.
“One of the concerns I brought to the state board of education was that the median district grade statewide was a C or C minus. I have a hard time believing that the average district in our state is performing at that level. I believe that the report card system is scaled too harshly.”
Owens also raised the point that when Ohio recently strengthened graduation requirements, some districts had a harder time meeting them. That data is then reflected in the report cards. When state to state comparisons are then made, states with lower graduation requirements then scored “higher” than Ohio on graduation rates.
Owens said that these comparisons could have an impact on economic development and other issues when companies or individuals are evaluating the region.
He added that realtors are telling him that lower school ratings are also hurting home sales in some areas.
Regarding how the rating affect morale inside school districts, Owens said “In a building or district, they can know that they went from a D to a C because they made tremendous growth to benefit the students. But when parents or others look at that C on the surface, they think that C’s are horrible. I believe that our local schools in Brown County are giving hope and opportunity to kids that otherwise wouldn’t have had it.”
Owens also said that there is an easy answer to any questions that parents may have about their local school.
“I always tell people to visit their school district. Get to know the people that are educating your children. You will truly be awakened when you see what is going on inside the buildings.”
Owens can be reached by e-mail at the Ohio State Board of Education at Nick.Owens@education.ohio.gov.
