Area schools receive high marks in second year of district report cards

For the second year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has given school districts in the State school report cards, evaluating priority areas in school districts.
The Durand School District received a rating of 75.9 for the 2013-14 school year, compared to a rating of 78 in the 2012-13 year. The rating puts Durand in the "Exceeds Expectations" category.
Superintendent Greg Doverspike said there is not one thing to point at to explain the slight rating drop, and one would have to drill very deep into the data.
"One of the inconsistencies of this model is that every class is different," he said. "Some of the changes we made last year aren't reflected in the data, as the testing is done in the fall. This is just one piece of a very large puzzle used to determine how the District is doing."
The report cards have four priority areas: Student achievement, student growth, closing gaps, and on-track and postsecondary readiness.
Durand scored 67.7 out of 100 in student achievement, 66.5 in student growth, 79.7 in closing gaps, and 89.8 in on-track and postsecondary readiness. The District saw a slight decrease in achievement and growth, but increases in closing gaps and postsecondary readiness.
Arkansaw Elementary School also decreased slightly from 73.9 in 2012-13 to 73.0 in 2013-14.
Durand Middle/High School increased from 74.7 to 76.4, with increases in all priority areas except student growth.
The District has been ranked as exceeding expectations both years the report card has been released.
"Every school sees minor fluctuations," Doverspike said.
Doverspike said the District is pleased with the results.
"Knowing we're rated highly in the State and CESA 11 is nice," he said. "But we're always looking for ways to make ourselves better."
Durand's enrollment went from 941 in 2012-13 to 961 last year.
The Pepin Area School District also exceeds expectations in the State of Wisconsin, with a rating of 78.6 for the 2013-14 school year, up from 76.7 in 2012-13.
Pepin High School increased from 77.1 to 79.9, and the elementary increased 70.2 to 77.0. Overall, the District saw increases in achivement and growth, and slight decreases in closing gaps and postsecondary readiness.
Enrollment in Pepin was down from 105 to 95, but superintendent Bruce Quinton noted this year, enrollment is up.
"The variations in our numbers reflect the variance of students who took the tests," Quinton said.
The District is very proud of being rated as exceeding expectations, and Quinton said the elementary was ranked as meeting expectations in 2012-13, so the school moved up a category.
"Our goal is to meet expectations, but we're proud to exceed on different levels," he said. "This is not necessarily something we focus on having a positive impact with kids, though. Our students show typical gains from grade to grade."
Quinton said the report card is nice to see.
"It's nice to exceed expectations and know we have a high rating among the area schools," he said. "But these scores aren't meant to compare one school to another. The scores tell how the District is doing with the kids we have to work with."
Quinton said Pepin's score tells the District they have kids working hard and progressing.
"Our staff is working hard, and the community is supportive of the kids," he said.
At the conference meeting last week, it was noted that Pepin and Plum City received the top scores in CESA 11.
"We're not focused on other schools report cards," Quinton said. "We're just worried about ours."
Quinton said the scores are a reflection of the quality education kids can get in rural Wisconsin.
"They get a lot of one-on-one attention here that they wouldn't get in larger, urban schools," he said.
Plum City School District jumped from 75.7 in 2012-13 to 78.8 in 2013-14.
The District showed increases in achievement, closing gaps, and postsecondary readiness, and remained consistent with student growth. Enrollment increased slightly from 281 to 284.
Plum City Elementary received a 76.8 in 2012-13, and increased to 78.0 last year, with increases in all priority areas.
Plum City High School increased from 77.2 to 80.3, less than three points from the top rating, "Significantly Exceeds Expectations." The high school saw a slight decrease in student growth, but had a significant increase in closing gaps.
Superintendent Mary Baier said while the report card is only one indicator of the success of schools across Wisconsin, it is important to recognize the hard work that students, school staff, parents, and communities put into our public schools.
"I am proud of the School District of Plum City and the success indicated by the District's score on this year's report card," she said. "We will continue to work hard in Plum City, as will every public school in Wisconsin, to prepare our students for their future. That is what public schools do best."
More information on school report cards can be found at www.dpi.wi.gov.