|
To Our Springboro Families:
Earlier this school year, we were delighted to share with you about our district, Springboro Schools, earning an Overall 5-Star Rating, the highest possible, based on the then newly released Ohio Department of Education (ODE) State Report Card.
As published on Sept. 14, 2023 by ODE, Springboro Schools’ 2022-2023 State Report Card results illustrated the district earned an Overall Rating of 5-Stars, the highest rating possible for “significantly exceeding state standards.”
District Learns of ODE Data Error
On the day the State report cards were released, Springboro Schools learned of an error in the ODE reported data that was not accurate, regarding our district's Early Literacy rating. The Early Literacy Component (one of the five components used to determine a district's overall rating) is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.
As reported in ODE's 2022-2023 State Report Card results, Springboro Schools received a 3-Star Rating in Early Literacy, which stated that only 58.6% of our Kindergarten students were on track to meet state standards in early literacy. This is inaccurate, and not correct.
838 of our K-2 students, who were all on-track and did not have a Reading Improvement Plan (RIMP), were not counted by ODE towards the 2022-2023 State Report Card results, due to an ODE data error. The data error went on to suggest that we only had 75 total Kindergarten students in our district, of which, 31 were not on track, meaning only 58.6% of our Kindergarten students were on track. However, this does not match our true district data and is inaccurate.
Had this data been accurately reported (with 91.1% of our Kindergarten students on track to meet state standards in early literacy), and included within ODE's State Report Card results, our district would have received a 5-Star rating in Early Literacy, the highest rating possible for “significantly exceeding state standards.” Furthermore, Springboro Schools would have received a 5-Star rating in all five components of the 2022-2023 State Report Card. As a result, this would move the district's current overall state ranking. With the correct data, Springboro Schools would become one of only nine school districts, out 607 total, to receive a 5-Star rating in all five components of the 2022-2023 State Report Card.
What's Being Done About This?
Over the course of this school year, we have had multiple correspondence with ODE about an appeal, in regards to this data error, including an in-person meeting with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paul Craft, as well as a scheduled meeting with Stephen Dackin, Director of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW).
Last Fall, our district administration notified ODE about this error. A representative from ODE's Office of Data Quality replied, stating, "There are no extensions or exceptions made for appeals once they are missed. Unfortunately, there are no additional opportunities to correct this data."
As part of the checks and balances, regarding this data collection, several review windows are made between ODE and our own district EMIS Coordinator throughout the school year. If any data errors are large enough to impact a district, these would appear on a "General Issues Data Report." However, no General Issues Data Report was issued by ODE, which would have alerted us to this error before the final data was published.
When asked why no General Issues Data Report had been issued, a representative from ODEW's Office of Operations stated on November 30, "Due to system changes this year, I did confirm that the specific gen issues that you had asked about was not generated."
Districts rely on General Issue reports to identify anomalies in data reporting. Had this report been produced when it should have by ODE, our district would have had time to file an appeal through ODE and would have been recognized as one of only nine school districts in the State of Ohio to receive a 5-Star rating in all five components when report cards were initially released.
According to ODEW, our district could receive a watermark on our report card webpage that mentions the data error. Our district applied for this watermark in Oct. 2023. The watermark was not made public until Dec. 2023. The watermark simply reads, "Misreported data have impacted this district's Overall Rating and Early Literacy Component."
As recently as last week, the district met with representatives from ODEW's Office of Data Quality and Office of Integrity to ask about 1.) correcting the data, 2.) adding further clarification to the watermark to specifically identify the error, and 3.) ensure this error would not impact the district's baseline data for future school years going forward. The district was once again told there would be no exceptions or additional opportunities to correct the data. By not correcting this error, our report card data will now continue to be affected over the next 2-3 years.
Other Districts Impacted
Unfortunately, Springboro Schools is not alone. We were made aware of seven districts in Ohio who applied for a watermark last school year with ODE for errors related to their State Report Card data: Lake Local, Mansfield City, Mt. Healthy City, Northeastern Local, Plymouth-Shiloh Local, Sebring Local, and Washington Local.
We were also made aware of ten distiricts in Ohio, in addition to Springboro Schools, who applied for a watermark this school year with ODE for errors related to their State Report Card data: Bennett Venture Academy, Bowling Green City School District, Indian Hill Exempted Village, Marysville Exempted Village, Northeastern Local, Ohio Connections Academy Inc., Perkins Local, Southwest Licking Local, Stow-Munroe Falls City School District, and United Preparatory Academy East.
In total, we are aware of 17 school districts in the State of Ohio, who have applied for a watermark with ODE/ODEW for errors related to their State Report Card data since last school year.
Proud to be a Panther
Regardless of our efforts to have the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) correct the data to accurately reflect Springboro Schools' rating, we know the truth about how our students perform. Springboro Schools is a top district in the State of Ohio, with a 5-Star rating in all components of the State Report Card: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation, and Early Literacy.
The district has invested in Early Literacy, and that investment has paid off. The efforts from our teachers, staff, students, parents, and community deserve to be recognized. The amount of work our teachers and staff have poured in to early literacy for our students has been nothing short of exceptional. We recognize their efforts, and are extremely proud of the work they have accomplished.
We are thrilled to be rated among the top school districts in the State of Ohio. In Springboro Schools, preschool through high school, staff, teachers, and community, we are all Panthers, and the work we do on a daily-basis builds towards academic success and a positive culture.
Thank you again to every one of you for your continued faith and commitment in Springboro Schools. Without you, we would not be able to achieve the success we have endured for so long. You trust us each and every day to educate your students, while providing a safe and secure environment for all. We take this very seriously and remain committed to this as our top priority. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, thoughts, concerns, or to share any good news happening in your child’s school or our great community. There are a lot of great things happening in Springboro Schools!
Sincerely,
Carrie Hester, Superintendent
| 
