The Iowa Department of Education released new Iowa School Performance Profiles Oct. 26. The performance ratings are based on how each school’s students performed on a variety of measures, including student proficiency and growth, the 2022-23 school year.
The ratings range from exceptional (highest performing), high performing, commendable, acceptable, needs improvement, and priority (lowest performing).
The Department of Education bases its scoring on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) taken during the spring by all students in grades 3-11.
Greene County High School, the only attendance center in the district to surpass the state average, is rated as commendable. The school scored 55.16, while the state average is 54.81.
Students tested as slightly below the state average in math and English language arts proficiency – 64.55 percent proficient in math (state average 69.5 percent) and 68.8 percent proficient in English language (state average 71.4).
Fifty-nine percent of students showed growth in math; 51 percent showed growth in English language arts.
Greene County was below the state average in the four-year graduation rate at 83.12 percent (state average 89.86), but above the state average in the five-year graduation rate at 99.01 percent (state average 92.51 percent).
The middle school is rated as acceptable with a score of 49.48. Students scored above the state average for proficiency in English language arts, with 73.234 proficient (state average 71.4). They scored below the state average in proficiency in math, at 61.23 proficient (state average 69.5 percent).
Forty-six percent of middle school students showed growth in math and 47 percent showed growth in English language arts.
The elementary school is also rated as acceptable with a score of 51.54 percent. Students scored below the state average for proficiency in English language arts at 65.12 percent (state average 71.4) and in math at 65.12 percent (state average 71.4).
Forty-nine percent of elementary students showed growth in English language arts and 65.12 percent showed growth in math.
Greene County school superintendent Brett Abbots said the ISPP provides a snapshot of school performance, “but may not tell the entire story about performance of students in that school.
“We are proud of our schools, the teachers who serve in them, and the work we are doing on a daily basis to develop lifelong learners.”
Another component of the Iowa School Performance Profiles is Conditions for Learning score. Students answer 15 questions about physical safety, emotional safety, adult-student relationships, student-student relationships, and boundaries and expectations. Those scores are also included in the composite scores.
In each category, the student must answer positively to all `15 questions to have a positive score in that category. If a student answers positively to 14 questions but negatively to one, the entire category is marked as not meeting the goal for that student.
The state average Conditions for Learning score is 49.4. In Greene County, the elementary scored 45.58, the middle school scored 33.94, and the high school scored 46.88.
The Greene County Schools board of education at its Oct. 18 meeting received the results from the September MAP (Measure of Academic Progress). Results were roughly similar. All schools are required to administer the ISASP but not the MAP. Greene County adopted MAP testing with the start of the 2022-23 school year as it provides more timely and more detailed data.
Building administrators presented their plans for improvement at the Oct. 18 meeting. Working toward those goals should impact both ISASP and MAP scores.
Regarding Conditions for Learning, a goal has been set for 100 percent of students at the elementary to have identified an adult they trust in the school. A goal at the middle school is to reduce (mis)behaviors during lunch and recess by 10 percent. High school administration is tackling improving attendance this year.
