ECS sees overall 4-Star report card rating

EATON — Eaton Community Schools received an overall 4-star rating on the most recent Ohio School Report Card, and officials are proud of the success students and staff are making happen.

School administrators discussed the rating at a recent meeting.

“Our biggest was our gap closing,” Assistant Superintendent MissAnne Imhoff said. “We had a four star for high school, three stars for the middle school, four stars for East and a five star for Bruce,” she said.

“The gap closing is where they look at all of our subgroups, including all students as their own subgroup and then they break it down and so we’re closing those gaps. Bruce, they had five stars. It’s tough — a five star is tough to get.”

“It takes every student into consideration, so every demographic,” Superintendent Jeff Parker said.

“All of this is a good recognition, K-12, of what our teachers and our staff and our administrators do, of what they been doing, and what they continue to do, day in and day out. People don’t realize that nor do we expect that they would,” Parker added. “The thing that I that I have learned, is that you win with people, and that’s what Eaton Community Schools has all the way through — excellent people. People who work hard and people who are passionate, and people who aren’t perfect because nobody is. That’s what this is. It’s a recognition of that.”

It’s a collaborative effort for the district, according to officials. “Our students and their families are in that group too,” High School Principal Scott Couch said. “We have a good group of students. We’ve been talking about staff, staff, staff, but you could put students and families in that group. They are hard working, they want to do the right thing.”

Ohio School Report Cards provide parents, caregivers, community members, educators and policymakers information about district and school performance — to celebrate successes and identify areas for improvement. The information provides transparent reporting to drive local conversations on continuous improvement and identify schools that need intensive supports. The report cards establish high expectations for the education community while showing progress toward equitable outcomes for all Ohio students.

The 2023 Ohio School Report Card Guide provides an overview and explanation of the key components of the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards. Districts and schools receive an overall rating of one to five stars in half-star increments. The overall rating is comprised of five rated components:

• Achievement Component

• Progress Component

• Gap Closing Component

• Early Literacy Component

• Graduation Component

ECS received four stars overall, four stars on the achievement component, three stars on the progress component, three stars on the early literacy component, four stars on the gap closing component, and three stars on the graduation rate component.

The Achievement component represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall. According to the report, the district “exceeds state standards in academic achievement.”

The Progress component looks closely at the growth all students are making based on their past performances. According to the report, the district “met student growth expectations.”

The Gap Closing Component is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps for student subgroups. According to the report, ECS “exceeds state standards in closing educational gaps.”

The report card also notes that ECS meets state standards in graduation rates, and in early literacy (kindergarten-grade three.)

For more information, or to view school district report cards, visit https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/.

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.