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State report card: Pickerington Schools
As a district, Pickerington Local Schools earned an “Excellent” on the 2009-2010 Ohio Department of Education report card, ranking with 48 percent of schools in the state with a rating of “Excellent” or above.
“We are very proud of our students and staff for their achievements,” said Karen Mantia, superintendent of Pickerington Local Schools. “However, there is much work to be done. We are working together to analyze data to concentrate our work to benefit all students.”
The district saw a decrease in its performance for the special population.
“That is a category we know we need to be more effective,” said Kim Halley, district-wide lead instructional adviser. “Until 100 percent of our student population is proficient or better, we’re not going to be happy.”
The district showed gains in reading for grades 3, 6 and 8, as well as math for grades 5 and 6. Report card results also show a significant increase in grade 8 science.
“We’re particularly proud of all our students and teachers as well as their parents,” Halley said. “It takes all of us.”
Pickerington missed one state indicator, falling below the proficient level requirement: 8th grade math. The district’s percentage of students at or above the proficient level was 74 percent, with the state requiring 75 percent.
Pickerington’s attendance rate was 95.4 percent, while its district graduation rate for 2008-09 was 95 percent.
Schools needing improvement as indicated by the state were Tussing Elementary, Pickerington High School North and Diley Middle School. The middle school was listed as “Excellent with Distinction,” though it did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for special needs students.
“This is the first year we did not meet the AYP,” Halley said. “That lists the district as at risk. That is what the school improvement is all about. We really need to work with that group of students.”
Of the schools in the district, nine were graded as “Excellent” (Heritage, Sycamore Creek, Toll Gate Elementary and Middle, Violet, Harmon, Pickerington Lakeview, and Pickerington High School Central and North campuses). Three schools were graded as “Effective” (Fairfield, Tussing and Pickerington Ridgeview Junior High); and two schools were deemed to be “Excellent with Distinction” (Pickerington Elementary and Diley).
“We are preparing our children for a future that we cannot define,” Mantia said. “We want our students to ask critical questions and develop preemptive solutions. It is a new method of educating for tomorrow by building on a foundation of success.”
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