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Choffin grades stand out among Big 8 school districts

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Choffin Career and Technical Center earned an overall B on its latest state report card, tied with Akron’s Career and Technical Planning District as the highest grade among Ohio’s Big 8 urban districts.

Choffin earned a B in career and post-secondary readiness and A’s in both the graduation component grade and the four-year graduation rate. Those marks were the highest earned among the Career-Technical Planning Districts of the Big 8 urban districts that consist of Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown, according to the Youngstown City School District.

Choffin also earned an A in post-program placement. Its 91.3 percent in that category made it fourth among the Big 8. In 2018, Choffin earned a C in the same category.

Choffin’s 2019 report card also shows improvement from the grade card the school earned last year when it scored an overall F.

“Stepping in as the leaders of Choffin during the 2017-18 school year, our first important tasks were to establish high expectations and strong goals for our scholars and staff,” said Michael Saville, Choffin principal.

“Our three goals are simple: No. 1, graduate on time. No. 2, earn industry-recognized credentials and No. 3, be career and college ready. As a result of our focus on accountability, strong interventions and high expectations, the scholars met and exceeded our performance measures, resulting in the progress we’re seeing here at Choffin.”

The 2017-18 school year is the first that administrative services at Choffin were provided by three principals, employed by the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center under an agreement between the Youngstown City School District and the MCCTC board.

Choffin improved in all of the other areas graded on the report card, compared to 2018: a D in technical skill achievement, up from an F in 2018 and a B in five-year graduation, up from a C last year.

The D in technical skill achievement ranked Choffin second in the Big 8, behind Akron’s C.

YCSD CEO Justin Jennings is pleased with Choffin’s progress too.

“The hard work of our Choffin scholars, under the guidance of their teachers and the leadership of the administrators, is paying off,” he said. “But more than just the grades on the state report card, this shows that these scholars are prepared for life after high school whether that be in college, a trade school, apprenticeship, the military or the workforce.”

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