District plans literacy improvement

PERKINS TWP. — With a history of below-average scores from the state, Perkins Schools administrators said the district is undertaking efforts to improve its literacy. During the November board of education meeting, administrators informed district leaders and audience members about efforts to update cellphone policies and changes to the district's state report card — a state-administered ranking of school performance, which includes early literacy ratings. "Literacy is the cornerstone of education, the foundation upon which interdisciplinary knowledge and skills are built," according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. "Just as a well-built cornerstone bears the load of an entire architectural structure, literacy bears the weight of all other educational endeavors and initiatives. When learners cultivate strong language and literacy skills, they can secure the autonomy to pursue personal and professional aspirations." School districts are graded annually by the state based on their performance in several areas, including: • Early literacy, a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade • College, career, workforce and military readiness, a measure of how prepared students are for future opportunities Early literacy In the topic of report cards, the district addressed its current two-star rating — out of a possible score of five stars — which is based on about 500 students in kindergarten through third grade. According to the state education department, a ranking of two stars signifies a district is below state standards in that particular category. Out of the 605 public districts in the state, 164 received a two-star rating with Perkins Schools being one of them. Based on state guidelines, there are three determining factors contributing to the early literacy score: • Proficiency in third-grade reading — It's the percent of third-grade students who score proficient or better on Ohio's state test for the English language arts reading portion. • Promotion to fourth grade — It's the percent of students moving up to the fourth grade, including those who fulfill the requirements of the third-grade guarantee, a program that identifies students who read below their grade levels between kindergarten through third grade, according to the state's education department. These students are supported through their academic career until they read proficiently. The promotion to the fourth-grade category identifies those who score proficient and those who meet promotion requirements in alternative ways. • Improving kindergarten through third-grade literacy — It evaluates the district's efforts in supporting those reading below grade level. It watches students who are off track at the start of the year and follows them to see if they become on track by the end of the year. Opportunity for growth The two-star rating is not an outlier compared to past district gradings. Since the 2021-22 school year, Perkins has received a two-star score three times and a three-star score once. The district sees teaching students to read as an opportunity for growth year after year, according to assistant superintendent Rena McClellan. McClellan listed the district's current resources to support student literacy needs: • All staff members are or are actively going through a training known as Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, a training backed by the Department of Education and Workforce. • All teachers use the same curriculum and approach, which promotes equity for students. • Students preparing for careers in education at the Milan Township-based EHOVE Career Center work with the district four days a week. The older students from EHOVE work with Perkins' younger students based on what they learned from the district's literacy coach. • The district gets the community involved with its efforts through parents, former staff and other community members who come read with students with support from teachers. • The district hosts family literacy nights to show families what is being taught and what can be done at home. • This year, the district directed funds toward extra reading teacher support and hiring for an elementary literacy coach. By using the same curriculum, instruction, interventions and assessment, the district is building a unified system for literacy that will raise achievement over time, according to McClellan. She said the district will use its assessment data as a guide, continue providing interventions based on student needs and provide the maximum amount of time for literacy instruction in a school day. "The district will continue to pursue and implement the most up-to-date best practices with our literacy instruction," McClellan said. "The immediate focus of the district is to find ways to provide a 'literacy boost' to students who need it most based on our screening and diagnostic data." The district has plans to expand instruction opportunities outside of the normal school day, according to McClellan. She said families will learn more about this when the district returns from winter break. The board will have discussions on literacy starting in January. Additionally, McClellan said the district is exploring ways to further support students, parents and guardians who "play a vital role in literacy development" outside the classroom. McClellan listed other ways literacy can be strengthened outside the classroom, which include: • Encouraging daily reading at home • Strengthening volunteer programs • Exploring partnerships with local organizations • Encouraging families to limit screen time and create home routines that support reading and discussion "We are actively working on ways to create easily accessible resources for parents/guardians and work together with them and help them further support their students' literacy development outside of school," McClellan said. Error in report card Also at the November meeting, the administration addressed an error in the most recent state report card scoring. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce website lists the district's overall grade as 3.5 stars with a watermark at the top of the page reading, "Misreported data may have impacted this district's ratings in college, career, workforce and military readiness and overall performance. For further details, please contact the district directly." According to district administrators, the district should have received an overall ranking of four stars, were it not for the error. Data was affected by the district's report on College Credit Plus classes, McClellan said. College Credit Plus is a state program that lets high school students earn high school and college course credits simultaneously. The district's submission did not use the required conversion for these classes; One high school credit equals three college credit hours. Without the appropriate conversions, several college credit classes were not recognized for meeting requirements in the College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness category. McClellan said once the district noticed the error, officials did what they could to correct it and ensure it does not happen in future reporting. The misreporting only affected the college, career, workforce and military Readiness category and the overall rating.