Olentangy expects performance score increase on state report card

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The Olentangy Local School District expects an increase of its performance index score on the state’s report card for the 2016-2017 academic year, according to preliminary estimates.

Estimates indicated the district’s PI score would increase by 1.7 points to 103.8 points. The ranking measures student performance on the Ohio Achievements Assessments and Ohio Graduate Tests at grades third through ten.

“These are preliminary estimates only as the State Report Cards will not be made available until September,”said Devon Immelt, a spokesman for the district. “We have internally completed a preliminary, conservative calculation of the PI.”

Olentangy officials expect the district to meet the state benchmark for 22 of 23 state indicators. The district needs 80 percent of its students to perform proficient or better for each of these tests.

But 78.57 percent of eighth graders have performed at the proficient level for mathematics. Superintendent Mark Raiff told the Olentangy Board of Education this month its an issue of statistics.

“We’re a victim of our own success,” he said. “… Better than fifty percent of our kids in the eighth grade take Algebra I or Geometry so there are most high achieving students, they’re not taking the eighth grade tests so then we have a much smaller sample size.”

Raiff added it’s not an excuse for not meeting the indicator.

Board member Julie Feasel said the state has not determined a way to assess this group of students.

Twelve of the district’s 15 elementary schools increased their PI between 0.1 to 2.4 points, according to preliminary results. Also, four out of five middle schools increased their PI between 0.4 and 2.5 points, while all three high schools increased their scores between 4.6 to 6.5 points.

The other three elementary schools saw slight decreases in their scores. Johnnycake Corners Elementary School’s score decreased by 0.12 points, Olentangy Meadows Elementary School’s score decreased by 0.51 points and Walnut Creek Elementary School score decreased by 0.38 points. However, all three schools’ PI index scores were higher than the district’s score, ranging from 104.3 to 107.8.

Additionally, Orange Middle School’s PI decreased by 0.8 points to 96.6.

The State Report Cards will be made available in September.

By Brandon Klein

[email protected]

Gazette reporter Brandon Klein can be reached by email or on Twitter at @brandoneklein.

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