Press Release
October 31, 2012
MAJORITY OF FWCS SCHOOLS RECEIVE HIGH RATINGS FROM THE STATE
Nearly 80 percent of the Fort Wayne Community Schools buildings received an A, B or C this year under Indiana’s accountability system.
Thirty-nine schools earned an A, B or C under the state’s revised grading system – the first year the system has been in place using new measurements.
Fourteen schools – Whitney Young Early Childhood Center and Arlington, Brentwood, Croninger, Glenwood Park, Harris, Irwin, Lincoln, Lindley, Nebraska, Saint Joseph Central, Washington, Washington Center and Weisser Park elementary schools – received an A. Adams, Franke Park, Haley, Indian Village and Price elementary schools and Northwood Middle School earned a B, and 19 more schools received a C, as did the District as a whole.
“Our focus has been and will continue to be continuous improvement,” Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson said. “Earlier this year when ISTEP+ results were released we saw that for the third consecutive year, we had more students passing the exams, and our growth was higher than the state’s at every level. While we are proud of our schools that received high letter grades from the state, our focus will continue to be on quality instruction every single day in every single classroom”
Prior to this year, state rankings were based on a combination of achievement and growth, with participations and performance under No Child Left Behind’s system also factored. This year, the complex system was based first on achievement with a requirement that a school must see at least a 70 percent passing rate on ISTEP+ to receive any points. A calculation based on individual student performance was used for growth and graduation rates and college and career readiness metrics were added for high schools. In addition, in previous years there was no limit on the number of special education students who could successfully pass an alternative exam, ISTAR or IMAST. This year, the state mandated a 3 percent cap on ISTAR and IMAST proficiency, resulting in hundreds of passed exams throughout the state being thrown out.
“Letter grades from the state will not solely define our schools,” School Board President Mark GiaQuinta said. “Our families know there is no better place for the children of this city to receive an education than Fort Wayne Community Schools. Each day we are educating students to high standards to ensure they become productive, responsible citizens. That is what defines our schools and sets them above all others.”
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