Today (Tuesday, Nov 19), the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) published school and district accountability report cards for the 2023-24 school year. 

State report cards are one resource we use to reflect on our strengths and areas for improvements. Every year, the school report card offers a snapshot of our school and district performance; this snapshot can point us in a general direction and reveal patterns for further investigation and reflection. 

This year's report shows both celebrations as well as opportunities for growth. Overall, our district falls in the “meets expectations” category. Granite Ridge School, Monona Grove High School, and Winnequah School all rated in the “exceeds expectations” category. All three of those schools increased their overall rating from 2022-23. Glacial Drumlin School and MG21 are both in the “meets few expectations” category. This is the first year that Glacial Drumlin is in this category; MG21 has been in this category but, on the positive side, increased its ranking above where it was in both 2022-23 and 2021-22. (Taylor Prairie and Cottage Grove Schools do not have the same kind of state report card data due to their grade ranges.)

Our overall achievement scores in English/Language Arts and Math were above the statewide average, though growth scores were mixed (growth scores for math were slightly below the state average while ELA growth scores were slightly above the state average). 

Action steps

As noted above, Glacial Drumlin School (GDS) has experienced a decline in academic benchmark indicators while bridging the social and emotional growth of students. Monona Grove’s Director of Instruction, Dr. Lisa Heipp and GDS principal Kris Langer are co-leading a rapid response team. This team has been analyzing data and is working to address both short term (in the next 100 days) and long term (2025-26 and beyond) evidence-based structures and practices to improve academic outcomes. Other actions the team has taken or is currently planning: 

• GDS was invited, and joined, the grant-funded Adolescent Literacy Planning and Implementation Collaborative (ALPIC), a professional learning opportunity focused on disciplinary literacy. 
• High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) implementation checks, ensuring grade level standards for appropriate rigor and relevance for all
• Targeted data review and progress monitoring with the special education team.

Other considerations include targeting chronic absenteeism for improvement, reviewing impact of Guided Study periods, careful analysis of the “middle school model,” and reconsideration of the daily class schedule in order to provide the most effective instructional time to students. All of this important work must be undertaken while adhering to the current fiscal reality of our budget constraints. 

Reading the report card

DPI is required by state statute (Wis. Stat. 115.385) to generate a school report card and district report card for every publicly funded school and district in the state. The current school report card is primarily based on last year’s performance during the 2023-24 school year, though multiple years of data are used throughout the report card. DPI encourages caution when interpreting scores and ratings. 

Assessment-based measures of Achievement and Growth are scored using a weighted average of three years of data, not just the most recent year. It is important to note that assessments underwent a necessary update in 2023-24–including updates in performance level cut scores– to align with recent updates in Wisconsin Academic Standards in ELA and mathematics. This process takes place whenever there are updates to academic standards. Updated cut scores better reflect the performance of Wisconsin students on assessments. Due to these assessment updates, scoring for student achievement on 2023-24 school and district report cards was modified to allow for system stability and for schools and districts to compare this year’s report cards to report cards from 2022-23.

At the foundation of the report cards are four priority areas. Schools and districts receive a score for each priority area: 

• Achievement - proficiency in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on the annual state assessments
• Growth - year-to-year progress in ELA and math achievement
• Target Group Outcomes - outcomes for students with the lowest test scores
• On-Track to Graduation - reliable predictors of how successfully students are progressing toward completing their K-12 education

The priority area scores are aggregated into an overall accountability score, from 0 to 100. This score is displayed on the front page of the school or district report cards. It is important to note that the 0 to 100 accountability score is not a “percent correct” measurement and is not aligned with traditional 0-100 grading scales. Based on its score, a school or district receives one of five rating categories, from Fails to Meet Expectations to Significantly Exceeds Expectations, as well as corresponding one to five stars. 

We are always open to your questions and feedback. Your engagement is crucial in making this school year a success for our students. Contact Superintendent Tanya L. Fredrich with your input.