Passing grades: Tuscarawas County schools meet, exceed state standards

TUSCARAWAS COUNTY ‒ All eight of Tuscarawas County's public school districts met or exceeded state standards in the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards released last week.

New this year, schools and districts received overall ratings of one to five stars in half-star increments. The report cards also include five rated components and various report-only data.

The five components, Achievement (how well students performed on state tests), Progress (growth all students are making based on their past performances), Gap Closing (a measure of the reduction in educational gaps for student subgroups), Early Literacy (a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade) and Graduation (a measure of the graduation rate), received ratings from one to five stars.

A grade of three stars or above means a district has met state standards.

Here are the results:

CLAYMONT: Overall rating ‒ 3.5 stars (meets state standards); achievement, 3 stars; progress, 3 stars; gap closing, 4 stars; early literacy, 2 stars; graduation, 2 stars.

"I am pleased that our school district has improved on the state report card from the previous year," Superintendent Brian Rentsch said. "This is a significant accomplishment, and it reflects the hard work and dedication of our students, educators and administrators.

"The improvement of our school district on the state report card is a positive sign that our district is moving in the right direction. It is important to celebrate this achievement, but it is also important to continue working hard to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education."

DOVER: Overall rating ‒ 4 stars (exceeds state standards); achievement, 4 stars; progress, 4 stars; gap closing, 4 stars; early literacy, 3 stars; graduation, 1 star.

"We are proud to have earned four out of five stars on the State's Report Card," said Superintendent Karie McCrate. "We also earned four stars in Achievement, Progress and Gap Closing, which demonstrates that students are demonstrating both learning and growth.

Last year's report: How did Tuscarawas County schools do on the report card? Find out here

"We also know that Ohio’s report cards are heavily based on test data, just one measure of student success. Most importantly, we know that our students cannot be defined by a test score. They are also artists, musicians, athletes, community servants, scientists, dreamers and innovators. None of that is measured here, but we see it every day."

GARAWAY: Overall rating ‒ 4 stars (exceeds state standards); achievement, 4 stars; progress, 2 stars; gap closing, 4 stars; early literacy, 3 stars; graduation, 4 stars.

"Our attendance, academic achievement and graduation rate are all indicative of our student success, and we are pleased to be recognized as exceeding state standards.  This year, we will continue to strive for even greater success in all areas," said Superintendent James Millet.

INDIAN VALLEY: Overall rating ‒ 4 stars (exceeds state standards); achievement, 4 stars; progress, 3 stars; gap closing, 5 stars; early literacy, 4 stars; graduation, 4 stars.

"I am super proud of, and happy for, our students and staff," said Superintendent Ira Wentworth.  "Our teachers are top notch at building relationships and connecting with students. We don't focus on 'teaching to the test,' but we focus on helping each student personally learn the academic content standards and trust that the results will follow. Of course, there are still areas to work on, but these results show continuous improvement which is a testament to how well our teachers are preparing and inspiring our students to achieve."

NEWCOMERSTOWN: Overall rating ‒ 3.5 stars (meets state standards); achievement, 3 stars; progress, 2 stars; gap closing, 5 stars; literacy, 4 stars; graduation, 4 stars.

"Overall, Newcomerstown saw an increase in four of the five state measures from the previous year. We now meet or exceed the state standard in four of those five scored areas," said Superintendent Jason Peoples.

"We are proud of the upward trend we are seeing academically. This is the result of parents, students, teachers and support staff and administrators working together to improve academics for Newcomerstown students. While we are proud of the improvements we have made, we are already working to take the next step as a district to be one of the top schools in the area academically."

NEW PHILADELPHIA: Overall rating ‒ 3 stars (meets state standards); achievement, 3 stars; progress, 2 stars; gap closing, 4 stars; early literacy, 2 stars; graduation, 1 star.

"I am very proud of the work of the New Philadelphia staff and students," said Superintendent Amy Wentworth.  "While the State Report Card is certainly not a comprehensive statement regarding the many great things school districts accomplish, it is one form of measurement.  New Philadelphia is making progress in many areas of our report card, and we are anticipating that this growth will continue to be evident as we move forward."

STRASBURG: Overall rating ‒ 3.5 stars (meets state standards); achievement, 4 stars; progress, 2 stars; gap closing, 4 stars; early literacy, 3 stars; graduation, 5 stars.

TUSCARAWAS VALLEY: Overall rating ‒ 4.5 stars (exceeds state standards); achievement, 4 stars; progress, 4 stars; gap closing, 5 stars; early literacy, 4 stars; graduation, 5 stars.

"I am incredibly proud of our students, staff, and district at large," said Superintendent Derek Varansky. "While we certainly know the report card only provides a small insight into what happens in our classrooms, fields and stages, it speaks volumes about the hard work and dedication of our students and staff. We will continue to work hard to learn, grow and improve our services to students, families, and the TV Community with a relentless focus on students … all that they are, and all that they can become."

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County schools meet, exceed state standards in report card