The Ohio Department of Education released the preliminary District Report Card student test scores for the 2014-2015 school year. West Geauga’s scores are unacceptably low. This situation is not a surprise to me. With that fact noted, please do not regard my lack of surprise as an indication of acceptance or satisfaction.
The district’s low scores will be attributable to a number of factors. One is the significant number of our students who did not take the tests last year due to parental opposition to the controversial PARCC assessments. I am extremely hopeful that the replacement of the PARCC exams by tests that are less time-consuming will lessen parents’ opposition to these student performance measures.
Performance assessments are a permanent part of the educational landscape. High-stakes tests are a way of life for any student contemplating college, graduate school, or entry into a profession. The districts that are scoring the highest on the Ohio District Report Card are the districts whose students are taking the state-mandated tests. The Report Card in turn is a very public means of comparing districts for people considering buying a home or selecting a community in which to raise their children. West Geauga, as a community, cannot afford low student test scores.
Another reason for the low student achievement scores is our failure to align our instruction with Ohio’s learning standards. The standards are the “what” of teaching. States have had standards since today’s parents and grandparents were in school. They compose the state curriculum. They tell us what students are required to learn in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, etc. In recent years, the standards have become more difficult. Unfortunately, our instruction has not kept pace. West Geauga’s students are as smart as they were ten years ago, but the district’s academic performance is not as high. We will reverse that trend.
In the next few months, we will be rolling out initiatives and plans to improve our students’ academic performance. Please know that all such measures are being crafted to improve the quality of education for West Geauga’s students. And yes, test scores are one measure of that quality. However, student test scores never have, and never will, eclipse the needs of West G’s students for a safe, enriched, balanced education. Thank you for entrusting your children to our care, and thank you, in advance, for your support as we optimize the academic potential of the students of the West Geauga Local School District.
