091522...R MAHO-REPORT 2...Austintown...09-15-22...Teacher Carlo Trafficante teaches an 8th grade math class at Austintown Middle School...by R. Michael Semple

Some Mahoning Valley school districts are performing again at or near pre-pandemic levels, while others, such as Youngstown and Warren, continue to show a need for more improvement.

The report cards released Thursday by the Ohio Department of Education reflect schools’ test scores from the previous academic year, along with other metrics.

Following national trends, test scores in Ohio remained below pre-pandemic levels, though some recovery is evident in this year’s data, according to the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Fordham promotes educational excellence for American students via research, analysis and commentary.

“The pandemic was a catastrophe for many Ohio students,” said Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director for the institute. “Today’s report cards reveal the ongoing consequences of the pandemic, with more students than usual struggling to meet grade level expectations in math and English.”

Proficiency in math dipped more dramatically during the pandemic, and scores remain well below pre-pandemic levels. While proficiency in English language arts was less affected, scores in this subject also haven’t recovered fully, Fordham’s analysis shows.

“Student achievement remains stubbornly low in Ohio’s urban communities, and it was clearly made worse by the pandemic,” Churchill said.

RANKING SYSTEM

Keeping in line with last year’s report cards, no overall grades or ratings were applied to districts or buildings. But this year’s report card features a new ranking system of one through five rated components:

l One star means significant help is needed for that school to meet state standards.

∫ Two stars means the school is not meeting state standards in academic achievement.

∫ Three stars means schools are meeting state standards.

∫ Four stars means schools are showing significant evidence of exceeding state expectations.

∫ Five stars means a school is significantly exceeding the state standards for academic achievement.

YOUNGSTOWN

Looking at the Youngstown City School District, the numbers show the district needs significant improvement in achievement and early literacy. The district also falls short in the categories of Progress and Graduation Rate (82.9 percent).

Its highest rated category, Gap Closing, received three stars, a bright spot for the district, according to Deputy Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor.

“Those measures are showing that our kids are growing, and we are doing our jobs in working to close the gap,” Batchelor said.

For its achievement scores, the district saw a 6 percent boost from the previous year, but still sits at 44.9 percent for testing. Its pre-pandemic scores rated at 55.9 percent in 2018-19.

Batchelor said he doesn’t want to make excuses, but acknowledges the shortcomings that COVID-19 has brought upon the district.

According to Batchelor, the district has seen a dip in its 2021 graduation rate, which is now 82.8 percent partly because of students being disengaged due to the pandemic or students whose learning was offset due to online learning.

Batchelor said district officials expect graduation numbers to show improvement for 2022.

CAMPBELL

Campbell City Schools also face an uphill battle in improving its test achievement numbers to a pre-pandemic pace, but there is significant improvement in its progress rating.

Superintendent Matthew Bowen said its progress rating shows district students are making great strides toward academic improvement.

The bad news is that three of five categories show the district still needs support in meeting the state standards. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district was sitting at 71 percent achievment in the 2018-19 year. The 2022 numbers show the district taking a dip to 63.9 percent, but that number is a slight bump from last year’s 60 percent.

AUSTINTOWN

The Austintown Local School District scored four to five stars in every category, indicating its performance is above expectations except in early literacy, the district only met state expectations.

Superintendent Dave Cappuzzello said, ”We’re pleased with the effort in our staff and the improvements. We’ve outperformed many schools in progress.”

Director of Curriculum Dr. Bill Young said while district officials are slowly observing students returning to pre-pandemic expectations, the effects of the pandemic still exist. Young said they’ve attempted to identify and address the social and emotional gaps caused by the pandemic by offering targeted enrichment programs to students falling behind.

“We wanted to make sure each school offered programs that were unique to each school,” Young said.

Some of the targeted enrichment programs included partnering with the OH WOW! Children’s Center to offer STEM enrichment for elementary, intermediate and middle school students. For Austintown Fitch High School, the district offered tutoring and gym memberships.

With an achivement score of 84.2 percent,the district is about 6 percentage points away from returning to its former rating prior to COVID-19. Its achievement scrore was 90 percent in the 2018-19 academic year.

cmcbride@tribtoday.com