Elementary and middle schools in Oklahoma’s public school system are making progress in academic growth judging by the latest Oklahoma School Report Card issued by the State Board of Education on Monday. The Board approved the annual report which gives schools grades for academic achievement and other areas.
Overall academic growth was up for Third through Eighth grade students. Math improved, while English language arts (ELA) was down slightly from last year.
“We still have challenges and are not yet where we want to be,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “The good news is we are on the right track. Individual students are making progress, although too many are not yet college or career ready. In any system built on continuous improvement, however, individual student growth is the first sign of success moving forward. These gains indicate we are laying the foundation for future gains at the school, district and state level.”
This is the first full year that new academic standards have been implemented in Oklahoma under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Because of the increase in academic rigor, scores were expected to dip or stagnate. However, some areas have shown improvement.
Ninety five elementary schools improved one letter grade or more in the overall grade. Ninety five middle schools increased one letter grade or more. Five high schools improved two overall letter grades due to gains in graduation rates and post-secondary opportunities, while 44 high schools increased at least one letter grade.
Graduation rates are up and more students are going into college, vocational education or getting practical work experience while in school. Internships are up more than 400 percent over last year.
“This tremendous jump in internships confirms the effectiveness of Oklahoma’s emphasis on college and career readiness,” Hofmeister said.
There is still work to be done according to Hofmeister. The Oklahoma School Report Card shows individual student growth but overall academic achievement is declining, especially in high school where there are no developed mechanism to indicate academic growth during the year.
“As we celebrate individual student growth, we must focus on meeting students where they are and preparing them for the next grade, course or level so that they are successful in life after high school. If we do not make meaningful changes in our instructional practices, we will not see meaningful change in our academic performance,” said Hofmeister.
“If districts have done nothing different than what they’ve always done, they likely saw a drop in their overall letter grade.”
You can find the 2018-2019 Oklahoma School Report Card here.
Who in the world wrote this headline?? Our schools are continuing to fail…Why is Hofmeister getting a pass on this incompetence?