State report cards: Lorain moves up a letter grade overall, still struggling in individual components

LORAIN -- The school district earned a D overall on the state report card, released Thursday. Its Gap Closing component saw a jump from an F in 2018 to a B this year, helping move the district's overall score up a letter grade. In a news release, CEO David Hardy said Thursday's growth was made possible by implementing changes as part of 'The Lorain Promise,' the district's strategic plan. His release notes the district's D overall score is something it hasn't achieved in close to a decade. The Ohio Department of Education did not start awarding overall grades on its state report card until 2018. Hardy calls the district's Gap Closing gain the largest "in the history of the measurement." "We know that poverty, violence and trauma are too prevalent in our scholars young lives," he said in the release. "And it is only by acknowledging their unique experiences while providing rich and rigorous learning opportunities can we hope to fulfill the promise we make to them when we say they are ready to graduate." The district still received a failing grade in the overall value-added component and a D in its performance index -- no change from the previous year. Under House Bill 70, the 2015 law allowing the state to takeover Lorain, Youngstown and East Cleveland schools, a district must receive a C or better two years in a row in those components to move out from under state purview. Performance index measures performance of every student in the district, while value-added measures expected growth. Outcomes were mixed at the building level. New Beginnings, General Johnnie Wilson Middle and Frank Jacinto Elementary schools remained at an F overall. New Beginnings serves a subset of high school students. The high school itself earned an overall D, up from an F last year. It kept its D in graduation rate. According to trend data, the district as a whole saw an increase in its four-year graduation rate -- from 80 percent last year to 81.5 percent this year. This is still lower than its 2015 high of 86.8 percent, before the district went under state control. Hawthorne Elementary rose to a C from an F overall, seeing gains in its components across the board -- including a A in its Gap Closing component. Stevan Dohanos also rose from a D to a B in its Progress component. The district's elementary schools received Cs and Ds in Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers. This report card is for Hardy's second year as CEO of the struggling district. Changes that year include the implementation of standards-based grading, but there was no major shift in curriculum until this school year -- which will be measured in the 2020 report card. Youngstown and East Cleveland remained at an F overall this report card, two of the four in the state to do so. School Board president Mark Ballard noted only four districts in the state receiving failing grades was "peculiar." Ballard said all anyone in the district wants is for children in the district to do better, but the way the report card is formulated doesn't make any sense. "We've changed principals and deans every year in all of our buildings. We keep getting rid of certified teachers for certified teachers and I think the real thing is in spite of all the confusion and chaos, our teachers have done a great job with our kids," he said. "And I think they deserve a big round of applause." Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.