Schools
Cuyahoga Falls City School District is rated Excellent
District earns an A, compares well to 'similar' districts.
The first day of school in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District brought news of a state rating of Excellent for the district on Wednesday. This is the third consecutive year for the district’s Excellent rating.
New superintendent Todd Nichols welcomed the news.
“The staff, students and communities should be commended for their effort and growth especially over the last four years. The Ohio Department of Education identifies 20 similar districts for every district in the state; in reviewing the performance indices for each of those 20 districts, Cuyahoga Falls City Schools has demonstrated the greatest gains over the last four years. For example, the PI (performance index) in this district on the 07-08 Report Card was 95.3; this year the PI for our district is 99.3,” Nichols said in an email.
“A closer look shows a growing percentage of advanced or accelerated scores and a decline in limited or basic scores. What these data suggest is that the staff of the Cuyahoga Falls City Schools are doing a good job of meeting students at their cognitive levels and demonstrating growth. Everyone is to be congratulated and should be proud!”
The district met 24 out of 26 indicators in the state ratings. The Falls district fell short in fifth-grade math and eighth-grade science proficiency. Some highlights:
• Overall attendance was 95.3 percent, vs. 94.5 percent for the state.
• The 2009-2010 graduation rate was 96.4 percent, vs. 84.3 percent for the state and 93.2 percent for “similar” districts.
• Performance Index was 99.3 out of a possible 120 points. The 2008-2009 rating was 95.8, and the 2009-2010 PI was 98.1.
• AYP (adequate yearly progress) was not met.
• Value-added measure was rated +, above average.
The State Indicators are based on state assessments, attendance and graduation rates.
The ratings available for school districts are Excellent with Distinction; Excellent; Effective; Continuous Improvement; Academic Watch; and Academic Emergency.
For more information see you need to know about district report cards, and go to reportcard.ohio.gov.