{"id":12001,"date":"2019-08-23T17:38:22","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T17:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=12001"},"modified":"2019-08-23T17:38:22","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T17:38:22","slug":"local-schools-get-graded-by-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/23\/local-schools-get-graded-by-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Schools Get Graded By The State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three BCSD schools earn \u2018Top Performer\u2019 marks<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Eric Valentine<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Data shows how BCSD student performance compares statewide. Image credit: Idaho State Department of Education<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How well Blaine County School District is using its resources to improve student performance is under scrutiny this week thanks to the state\u2019s recent release of the so-called school report cards\u2014a compilation of academic and non-academic performance and demographics data aimed at helping school districts focus on what\u2019s being done well and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

Depending on who you ask and what\u2019s being focused on, BCSD schools are either struggling or outperforming their Idaho counterparts. What follows are some general takeaways from the full report and what key stakeholders are saying about them.<\/p>\n

Data Dive<\/b><\/p>\n

A positive metric that stands out for BCSD administrators, spokesperson Heather Crocker said, has to do with the progress of English Language Learners (ELL) and Hispanic students. The new data indicates that BCSD is gaining some traction in closing the student achievement gap that exists for particular populations of students. New practices like co-teaching and explicit instruction in reading and math, Crocker said, are some of the reasons for the improvements.<\/p>\n

Specifically, English Language Learners in Blaine County are outperforming their statewide counterparts in English proficiency. However, only 6.7 percent are proficient in English, a slight improvement over 2018 when only 5.6 percent of ELL kids were considered proficient. English language proficiency is considered to be the level of knowledge and skill with the English language required for academic success.<\/span><\/p>\n

One indicator seeming counterintuitive\u2014or indicating a significant program issue\u2014involves college readiness. Only 30 percent of BCSD students are considered prepared to succeed at the university level. It\u2019s not much better across the state, but with nearly 98 percent of students participating in the college readiness courses and programs offered around the district, stakeholders may be taking more notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are several significant data points in the report that should concern the Board of Trustees. However, we need more information before jumping to conclusions about the report results and how to best address them,\u201d said Alexis Lindberg, who recently announced her Zone 1 candidacy for a trustee position in the upcoming November election.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that teachers are successfully working to improve achievement rates for all students. However, the 30 percent-plus difference between white and Hispanic students is significant, especially after considering that each group displays similar student engagement. As a Trustee, I will continue the District\u2019s work on eliminating this deficiency and raising achievement rates for all our students,\u201d the certified public accountant from Bellevue said.<\/p>\n

Non-Academic Data<\/b><\/p>\n

The full report online dives into far more than the six academic indicators of student performance. There are three so-called non-academic indicators noted in the report cards, too. They are: teacher workforce, student\/parent engagement, and financing. The financial data will be released in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m concerned with the nearly 13 percent drop in teacher retention; however, many data points have numerous potential causes that require more research. Recent reports of low teacher morale certainly need to be addressed, as teacher satisfaction is critical to the success of our district,\u201d Lindberg said in a statement regarding the survey.<\/p>\n

The full report on the district and each school can be found online at idahoschools.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three BCSD schools earn \u2018Top Performer\u2019 marks By Eric Valentine How well Blaine County School District is using its resources to improve student performance is under scrutiny this week thanks to the state\u2019s recent release of the so-called school report cards\u2014a compilation of academic and non-academic performance and demographics data aimed at helping school districts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,18,36],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12001","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"category-news","9":"category-slider"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}