Each year, Ohio students take standardized tests that are analyzed by districts and the state alike to measure student progress. Accuracy is key to planning your school's future and meeting the needs of your students.
Now, some school districts say the Ohio Department of Education and Labor is refusing to correct some data errors on recent school report cards. The district says these mistakes will have a lasting impact because education data relies on previous reporting to show progress.
2023 State Report Card:Cincinnati Public Schools do not meet state standards
more:What did your district's Ohio report card look like? Here's how to read the results
For example, the Springboro Community City School District missed out on more than 800 students in kindergarten through second grade meeting state standards in early literacy skills last spring. Administrators said they discovered the error when the 2022-23 report card was released in September and have been communicating with state officials ever since to correct the data. This miscount is reflected in the district's report cards, which incorrectly show that less than 60% of Springboro's kindergarten students were on track last year.
In fact, Springboro Superintendent Carrie Hester said more than 91 percent of the district's kindergarten students were on track to reach early literacy skills.
“Our report card data will continue to be affected for the next two to three years,” Hester wrote in a letter to parents and families in April.
State tests and subsequent school report cards have been a topic of debate for years. Some school leaders argue that the state's evaluation system unfairly punishes urban and minority students and school districts. A 2022 survey by the Enquirer found that many superintendents, at least in the region, agree that state data will be useless by the time it is provided to districts. Schools have their own tests that show students' progress in real time so they can meet their students' needs.
Still, state report cards are the best way to compare data between school districts. That's why Springboro's miscount hurts, Hester said.
If the district's early literacy data had been reported accurately, Springboro schools would have received five out of five stars in this category instead of three stars. That makes Springboro Schools one of only nine school districts in the state to earn five stars in every category.
Instead, the City of Springboro's inaccurate results will be posted on the online report card with the following message: “Incorrectly reported data is impacting this district's overall assessment and early literacy components. Please contact the district for more information. The watermark remains.
School districts self-report data, but some districts did not see errors reported
State Department spokeswoman Lacey Snoke said school districts self-report data to the state.
The state has formal data collection, data challenge, data review, certification, and watermarking processes to ensure consistency and equity across districts.
“It is the responsibility of each district to submit data accurately and to review the data during the review and appeal period,” Snoke said. Appeals typically occur during the summer, when schools are sparsely staffed.
But the state's software isn't foolproof, said Scott Marshall, Springboro's communications coordinator. And part of the state's initial review process that should have alerted school districts to common data errors and omissions was turned off last year, which Marshall said is why Springboro missed the appeal period. Ta.
“Why can we use ODE software to transmit this data in the first place?” Marshall said. “If you ever incorrectly entered your password or credit card number when purchasing something online, you will receive a message informing you of the error. Our district will remove such messages through a data verification process. I have never received one.”
Mount Healthy City Schools mistakenly did not submit some early literacy scores for the 2021-22 school year, skewing the data. Jana Wolf, the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and technology, acknowledged that this was the district's fault and not the state's. But it was still “devastating” that the district recognized its mistake and missed the deadline to fix it, she said.
“We actually do a lot of work on literacy,” Wolf said. “We are one of the few school districts that has been working on the science of reading for seven years. We started doing it before Gov. (Mike) DeWine started the statewide initiative.”
Like Springboro, Wolfe said Mount Healthy School never received a common data error warning from the state in 2022, which is why the district missed the appeal period. Wolf said the data should be stable in the district's next report card.
Indian Hill administrators also tried to correct incorrect data on the district's 2023 report card to no avail. The state has denied some of the district's requests to resubmit accurate data.
“Ultimately, inaccurate data leads to flawed decisions and poor future planning,” said Indian Hills Superintendent Kirk Koennecke.
Other districts with errors in state data
Fourteen Ohio school districts have applied to add watermarks to their report cards for the 2022-23 school year that indicate data errors, according to the state.
- Beaver's local school.
- Bennett Venture Academy.
- Bowling Green City School District.
- Indian Hill Exempt Village School District;
- Marysville Exempt Village School District.
- Local schools in the Northeast.
- OHIO CONNECTIONS ACADEMY, INC.
- Local schools in Osnaburg.
- Perkins local schools.
- Rossford exempted village schools.
- Southwest Licking Local.
- Springboro Community City Schools.
- Stow Munroe Falls City School District.
- United Preparatory Academy East.
The City of Springboro is also aware of seven school districts that applied for Watermark last year.
- Local schools on the lake.
- Mansfield City Schools.
- Mount Healthy City School.
- Local schools in the Northeast.
- Local schools in Plymouth and Shiloh.
- Local schools in Sebring.
- Local schools in Washington.
