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CCS keeps same grade for fifth year in row
The preliminary district report card for Columbus City Schools (CCS) showed a “Continuous Improvement” rating for the fifth year in a row. The 2011 report card highlights the highest accomplishments to date for CCS, including a 77.6 percent graduation rate, 94.5 percent attendance, and a performance index score of 81.8. “I am very proud of our progress,” Superintendent Gene Harris said. CCS achieved a year’s worth of growth during the course of the academic year, and improved or remained stable in 20 of the 26 state standards. At the elementary school level, third grade reading and math scores increased by 1.7 percent and 6.0 percent, respectively. Fourth grade reading scores increased by 3.5 points. At the middle school level, sixth grade reading scores increased by 6.8 points, and sixth grade math scores increased by 3.4 points. Seventh grade math scores increased to 50.9 percent. At the eighth grade level, reading scores increased by 10.5 points, math increased by 4.1 points, and science increased by 4.3 points. In addition to the 4.9 point increase in the graduation rate at the high school level, the high schools posted gains in 10th grade writing by 2.1 points and reading by 2.7 points. CCS high schools exceeded the 75 percent state standard in the areas of reading and writing. The 10th grade reading score was 78.3 percent and the writing score was 81.6 percent. The 11th grade reading and writing also exceeded the 85 percent state standard at 87.3 percent and 89.7 percent. This year’s report card was 45.5 points over 2010 results. The report card also revealed a decline in five areas: fifth grade math and science, seventh grade reading, 10th grade math, and 11th grade math and social studies. CCS will take steps to address this decline and conduct a deeper analysis of student performance to determine exactly where additional support for students is needed. They have detailed a new operational plan that will help move the district forward in partnership with teachers, community, parents and students. “We have been working hard to strategically align the district into five academic regions or feeder patterns so that schools at all levels will work closely together in order to more effectively serve their students,” Harris said. She added, “At the same time, we will be building and strengthening partnerships within the community to support higher learning opportunities for students, and refining our curriculum to meet the needs of students today and tomorrow.”
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