On September 13, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released the 2017-18 Local Report Card for all districts in the state of Ohio. The district’s Quality Profile was also released.
This year, the report card from the ODE included an overall letter grade to each district. The grade is based on a weighted percentage of the following components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 Literacy and Prepared for Success. The North Royalton School District received an overall grade of a “B.”“I am very proud of the students, staff and parents of North Royalton City Schools and the collaborative environment that we have,” said Gurka. “In our strategic plan, our vision states our educational community will be a model in identifying individual student needs and providing comprehensive support. We do this every day in our buildings and we are continuously identifying our weaknesses and are adjusting our curriculum and instruction for improvement.”
Achievement – The district received a composite score of a “B.” This component represents the number of students who passed the state tests and their performance on those tests. The district’s performance index, measuring that performance was ranked at 100.4, eleventh out of 31 in Cuyahoga County and 64th out of 608 Ohio public school districts. “This means 58% of North Royalton City Schools’ students perform in the advanced or accelerated ranges on the state assessments,” according to district officials.
Progress – The district received a composite score of a “B.” It received an “A” in the category of “overall” for the progress of all students in math, English/language arts and science. The district also received an “A” in the category of “Gifted Students” for the progress of students identified as gifted in reading, math, science and/or superior cognitive ability. A “D” was given for the category of “Students in the Lowest 20% in Achievement” which measures the progress for students identified as the lowest 20% statewide in reading, math or science. An “F” was given for the category of “Students with Disabilities,” which measures the progress for students with disabilities.
This component reflects student growth, based on past state assessment performance. “Our District Leadership Team, consisting of teacher leaders and administrators, has heightened awareness of this subgroup,” according to district officials. “Their work will focus on strengthening best practices in the classroom to improve the progress for students with disabilities.”
Gap Closing – The district received a composite score of an “A.” This component shows how well students and subgroups are meeting performance expectations.
Graduation Rate – The district received a composite score of an “A.” This component addresses the percent of students who are successfully completing high school in four or five years.
K-3 Literacy – The district received a composite score of a “C,” meeting the expectations of the Ohio Department of Education. It averages four years of data and shows 47% of these students moved to “on track.” This component addresses the success of proficiency in getting struggling readers on track in kindergarten through grade three. All of the district’s third grade students met the Third Grade Reading Guarantee requirements for promotion to fourth grade.
“This indicator is another confusing one for the community when you have 100% of your third graders pass the required assessment, and yet your K-3 literacy score is a C,” said Gurka. “It also is important to note that this measure is inconsistent between districts because it is based on a list of approved diagnostic assessments the state requires districts to choose from and not all districts use the same tests. Our goal is to ensure our students are reading by the end of the third grade and it is clear we are meeting that goal.”
Prepared for Success – The district received a composite score of a “C,” meeting the expectations of the Ohio Department of Education. This component addresses how well students are prepared for future opportunities. It includes ACT or SAT scores; Honors Diploma recipients; Advanced Placement (AP) test scores, International Baccalaureate tests, and College Credit Plus.
“Reporting changes every year, as to assessments of our students, so the ODE Local Report Card continues to make it challenging for the community to make conclusions as to how their local school districts are performing and meeting the needs of each student,” said Superintendent Greg Gurka, North Royalton City Schools. “Our Board of Education and administrative team reviews our scores intently each year to see where we are improving or where we need additional work. We don’t rely solely on just those numbers or letter grades because there is so much more to evaluate a district’s strengths and weaknesses than this report card.”
The 2017-18 district’s Quality Profile is a report that highlights areas such as academics, digital learning, arts/music, student leadership and activities, parent and community involvement, fiscal stewardship and pupil services. That report can be found on the district’s website at www.northroyalton.org.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer