KidsOhio.org Winter /Spring 2013 Reynoldsburg School District Earns A+ with 38% Poverty Rate; Meets All 26 Indicators on State Report Card with Annual Per-‐‑Pupil Spending of $9,300 8% of Ohio Districts with 38% or Higher Poverty Rate Meet All State Indicators While Reynoldsburg’s overall enrollment remained stable, the percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged increased from 26 percent in 2007 to 38 percent in 2012. Reynoldsburg City Schools improved academically despite this increase. The district met 100 percent of state indicators in 2011 and 2012, up from 87 percent in 2008. In addition, the district’s Performance Index (PI) Score improved from 96.9 to 101.3 over the past five years. Twelve of the 16 school districts in Franklin County had Performance Index Scores of 100 or higher in 2012. Contents Page 4 Summit Campus Page 5 “Geese Geese Baby” Page 6 Four HS Academies; Innovative Partnerships Page 7 Partnership with CSCC Page 8 Choice Supported; Open Enrollment; Blended Learning Page 9 Reynoldsburg Reach; Race to the Top Page 10 Central Ohio Compact; Reynoldsburg Leader Joined ODE Superintendent Dackin’s Leadership 120 100 80 96.9 87% 97.9 87% 99 98.4 100.3 101.3 93% 92% 100% 100% 60 Indicators Met Percentage 40 20 Performance Index Score 26% 34% 38% 42% 38% 28% Economic Disadvantaged Rate Page 11 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Source: Ohio Department of Education. Performance Index Score is a composite score of all state tests. The highest score possible is 120. Page 12 Map of Reynoldsburg KidsOhio.org 22 East Gay Street, Suite 600 l Columbus, OH 43215 l 614.228.6400 This report is made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through Ohio Grantmakers Forum and is available at www.KidsOhio.org KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Academics Improved amid Rise in Disadvantaged Student Enrollment Among the 14 Franklin County districts rated A or A+, Reynoldsburg had the fourth highest rate of economically disadvantaged students. Groveport Madison, Hamilton, and South-Western school districts were also rated A and had higher rates of poverty. Over the past five years, Reynoldsburg City Schools’ academic rating fluctuated between A and B, the second and third highest possible ratings. In 2011, the district was rated A and in 2012 it was rated A+. Among the 16 districts in Franklin County, Reynoldsburg had the second lowest cost per pupil. Franklin County School Districts: Enrollment, State Report Card Data & Cost Per Pupil District Name Bexley Canal Winchester Columbus Dublin Gahanna-‐Jefferson Grandview Heights Groveport Madison Hamilton Hilliard New Albany Reynoldsburg South-‐Western Upper Arlington Westerville Whitehall Worthington Enrollment Percent Economically Disadvantaged 2,130 3,466 49,462 13,833 6,943 1,089 11% 29% 83% 15% 27% 16% Percent of State Report Card Indicators Met 100% 96% 15% 100% 100% 100% A+ A C A+ A A+ 2011 Annual Per Pupil Cost* $14,337 $10,507 $14,967 $13,013 $11,625 $15,085 5,627 63% 54% A $10,657 2,950 14,951 4,300 5,593 19,513 5,585 14,196 2,828 9,048 62% 24% 8% 38% 57% 2% 32% 79% 25% 92% 100% 100% 100% 77% 100% 100% 50% 100% A A+ A+ A+ A A+ A+ B A+ $8,144 $11,398 $12,249 $9,313 $10,397 $15,172 $10,890 $11,232 $13,305 Preliminary Report Card Rating Source: Ohio Department of Education, Preliminary District Report Card Data, 2012. *PowerUser Reports, 2011. 2 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Reynoldsburg City Schools and Ohio: Graduation Rates from 2006 to 2010 School Year 2005-‐2006 2006-‐2007 2007-‐2008 2008-‐2009 2009-‐2010 Reynoldsburg 98.6% 99.1% 98.5% 91.6% 97.0% Statewide 86.1% 86.9% 84.6% 83.0% 84.7% Source: Ohio Department of Education, PowerUser Reports, 2011. Reynoldsburg City Schools’ graduation rate, currently 97 percent, remained above 90 percent from 2006 to 2010. During this same period, the statewide graduation rate decreased from 86 percent in 2006 to 84 percent in 2010. All 14 Reynoldsburg Schools Rated A+, A, or B for Past Four Years Every Reynoldsburg school was rated A+, A, or B over the past four years. In 2012, three of the district’s 14 schools were rated B and 11 were rated A or A+. High Performance amid High Poverty Every Reynoldsburg school had a Performance Index Score above 94 (the highest possible score is 120) and a poverty rate above 18 percent. However, two schools earning Performance Index Scores of 100 or higher had poverty rates greater than 40 percent. The Reynoldsburg school with the highest rate of poverty, Herbert Mills Elementary (59.5 percent), had a PI Score of 95.9. Across the state, the average PI Score was 85.2 for district schools with economically disadvantaged rates of 59.5 percent or higher. Reynoldsburg High School eSTEM Ranks Number 3 in Franklin County eSTEM Principal Marcy Raymond helped start the well-‐‑ respected Metro Early College High School with support from Battelle and OSU. At 110.8, Reynoldsburg High School eSTEM Academy has the 18th highest Performance Index Score among the 634 Ohio public high schools with grades 9-12 (district and charter). Twenty-eight percent of Reynoldsburg High School eSTEM Academy students are economically disadvantaged. On average, 16 percent of students statewide are economically disadvantaged in the high schools with a PI Score of 110.8 or higher. The school ranks third among 57 Franklin County public high schools with grades 9-12 – Dublin Jerome High School ranks first (112.1) and Upper Arlington High School ranks second (111.5). The economically disadvantaged rate is two percent at Dublin Jerome and less than one percent at Upper Arlington High School. 3 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Reynoldsburg City Schools: Comparing Ratings and Poverty Rates, School Year 2011-‐2012 Performance Index Score (120 possible) 110.8 Preliminary Report Card Rating A Percent Economically Disadvantaged 28.1% Summit Road Elementary 108.0 A+ 19.5% Taylor Road Elementary School 105.3 A 18.8% Slate Ridge Elementary School 104.9 A 40.2% Waggoner Road Middle School 103.1 A+ 38.8% 102.8 A 23.8% 101.2 A 47.4% Hannah J. Ashton Middle School 99.1 A+ 58.3% Waggoner Road Junior High 98.9 A 35.8% Rose Hill Elementary School 98.5 A 54.0% 96.8 B 42.2% 96.7 B 22.0% 95.9 A 59.5% 94.7 B 46.5% School Name Reynoldsburg High School -‐ eSTEM Reynoldsburg High School -‐ Health Sciences & Human Services Baldwin Road Junior High School Reynoldsburg High School -‐ Business, Education, Leadership & Law Reynoldsburg High School -‐ Encore: Arts, Communication & Design Herbert Mills Elementary School French Run Elementary School Source: Ohio Department of Education, Preliminary School Building State Report Card Results, 2012. Reynoldsburg’s New Summit Campus: 60 Acres for Hands-‐‑On Learning The drive along Summit Road is like a drive in the country – but then an innovative, new school campus appears, with angular architecture and lots of green space for outdoor science learning, including its own wetlands. Walking into these new buildings, one sees wide, brightly lit, and colorful hallways with open reception and office areas and tall windows inviting in natural light. Colorful lockers are purposely tucked off to the sides or integrated into the design for traffic flow. There are tables and chairs in front of classrooms that allow for the classroom experience to expand into small work groups. And there is a contagious atmosphere of energetic students moving from class to class. Reynoldsburg’s newest campus on the East-side, built with bond money approved in 2008, sits just inside Licking County amidst 60 acres of land and some newer housing developments. According to 2010 census data, the 10.6 square mile eastern suburb of Columbus is home to nearly 36,000 residents, having grown 11.9 percent in population since 2000. The campus is home to the district’s STEM high and elementary schools. 4 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 This year, the district opened a STEM middle school for grades 5-8. Responding to demand, the district has begun planning a second STEM elementary school. More than one-third of Reynoldsburg students now attend a STEM-focused school. Geese Geese Baby If there’s a goose problem, yo, we’ll solve it Marcy Raymond, eSTEM’s principal, helped start the well-respected Metro Early College High School with support from the Battelle Memorial Institute and The Ohio State University (www.themetroschool.org). Modeled after the STEM approach of project-based inquiry learning, all courses at eSTEM are taught at the honors level, though there are two assessment pathways – enriched and non-enriched. Students are encouraged to take the more rigorous pathway, but if students choose the non-enriched pathway, teachers are encouraged to come up with a plan to move these students to the enriched pathway. Assessments include performances (such as research papers), tests, and quizzes. Students must demonstrate at least 70 percent mastery of a subject before moving on. Failure, literally, is not an option. Superintendent Steve Dackin believes that every student, not only students with disabilities, should have an Individualized Education Plan, reviewed at least three times a year. At the elementary level, students like the opportunity that the STEM model allows. “We don’t just sit in the classroom all day,” says one fourth-grader. “We get out and do all sorts of projects that help us understand what we are learning in our classroom. It’s a lot of fun!” Superintendent Steve Dackin believes that every student, not only students with disabilities, should have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), reviewed at least three times a year. “It’s crucial to know where students are and what they want to do if we want to educate them. There is a need for personalization of instruction for all kids and for setting goals. Both academic and socio-emotional skills are necessary for student success.” 5 Canadian geese. Beautiful creatures. Not so beautiful sidewalk etiquette. If you live in Ohio, you know that geese and sidewalks don’t make for a leisurely stroll from point A to point B. In fall 2011, geese droppings were a real problem on Reynoldsburg’s new Summit campus. That was, until the campus’ environmental sciences students decided it was time to stop dodging the problem. They took charge, developed a plan, and sent those aggressive geese packing…or flapping. These young students contacted the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and other businesses and parks experienced with geese control. As a result of their research, the students tested two solutions. One, they created life-‐‑sized cutouts of coyotes and covered the cutouts with fake fur. Geese see two-‐‑dimensionally, so the cutouts effectively spooked the geese away from the sidewalks. Students routinely moved the cutouts around the schoolyard to prevent the geese from catching on. Two, students streamed a fence of one wire around the problem area. The wire was equally effective in keeping the sidewalk goose-‐‑free. These students now walk the sidewalks with their heads held high – for more than one reason. KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Students Choose among Four Reynoldsburg High School Academies The design of Reynoldsburg’s four small college-career interest-based high school academies was a result of parent and student interest polls and focus groups. These small academies make it easier for teachers to develop relationships with their students, as well as provide the opportunity to build relationships with parents. Each academy provides opportunities to earn college credit and enrolls about 400-500 students. Students get their first choice. Reynoldsburg’s graduation rate in 2010 was 97 percent, well above the state average of 84 percent. In 2009, 48 percent of Reynoldsburg’s graduates entered an Ohio public college or university; others entered private or out-of-state schools. Each academy follows the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) approach to learning, using inquiry-based projects in every subject to foster problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Two of the academies are located at the Livingston Campus: BELL Academy emphasizes entrepreneurship and early college and (HS)2 Academy focuses on health sciences and human services. The Summit Campus houses eSTEM Academy, which emphasizes environmental science, and Encore Academy, which focuses on the arts, communication, and design. Reynoldsburg’s Health Sciences and Human Services (HS)2 Academy was designated a STEM school in July 2012, the second high school in Reynoldsburg and the 12th in Ohio to receive the state’s official designation. The school also has a partnership with Columbus State Community College so students can earn college credit while in high school, as well as an onsite health clinic in conjunction with Mt. Carmel Health System. Innovative Partnerships: Second-‐‑Lowest Per-‐‑Pupil Costs among 16 Franklin County School Districts Reynoldsburg’s story, according to Assistant Superintendent Dan Hoffman, is about “doing what it takes to get things done, because our operating cost per pupil is about $9,300” (see chart on p. 2), which is the second lowest in Franklin County. Some districts spend more than $15,000 per pupil. “Space is our currency,” Hoffman likes to tell. The district has developed several innovative partnerships that include swapping space for programming or making better use of district funding for programming that better fits a school. Here are some examples: • BELL Academy provides free space to Columbus State Community College for a branch campus. BELL students, in turn, have the opportunity to begin college coursework as early as ninth grade. (See sidebar story on p. 7.) 6 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 • Elementary and middle schools provide free space to Kiddie Academy of Reynoldsburg for before- and after-school care to families. In turn, Kiddie Academy provides academic mentors during the school day at no cost to the district. • BalletMet uses a specially equipped dance studio at the high school to offer fee-based evening and weekend classes. In lieu of rent, they provide a dance teacher at the high school (half-day) to teach Pilates and yoga at no cost to Reynoldsburg students. The district uses Flex Credit to award credit for fine arts or physical education. Flex credit is an option that allows students to gain credit for mastery of coursework that is not provided through the traditional classroom. • The district provides space at a school for a community health care center to the Mount Carmel Health System. In turn, Mount Carmel is co-developing and delivering educational opportunities for students. Reynoldsburg and Columbus State Community College Form Partnership In January 2013, Reynoldsburg’s BELL Academy opened 15 renovated classrooms to house a Columbus State Regional Learning Center. In a facility and shared services agreement, the district approved spending $1.2 million of available bond money to renovate a 22,000-‐‑square-‐‑foot space on the west side of the Livingston Campus. Columbus State Community College, in turn, agreed to invest about $1.4 million to equip the classrooms and provide instruction. This partnership allows Reynoldsburg students to work simultaneously on earning a high school diploma and a two-‐‑year associate degree from Columbus State. Reynoldsburg students will be earning their two-‐‑year degrees at just $25 per credit hour, significantly below the main campus instructional rate of $109 per credit hour. All Columbus State Regional Learning Center courses will transfer to a four-‐‑year institution. Adult students in neighboring communities also enroll in courses at the Learning Center, but they will not receive the same discount on credit hours that Reynoldsburg students are receiving. The Learning Center opened to all students in January 2013. 7 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Equal Opportunity for District and Public Charter School Students Out of Ohio’s 610 school districts, Reynoldsburg is one of 50 to sponsor a charter school. In November 2012, 508 Reynoldsburg students attended a charter school, up from 273 students in November 2007. Reynoldsburg has always respected parental choice, offering many innovative choices within the district. Says Superintendent Steve Dackin, “Students and families deserve to choose among high quality schools and to choose the school that best meets their needs and interests. We sponsor five charter schools and embrace competition as a way to improve. We also share services with charter schools and other organizations to reduce costs for everyone.” Reynoldsburg Adopts Open Enrollment Policy; Reduces Mobility On May 15, 2012, Reynoldsburg’s Board of Education approved open enrollment, permitting students from other school districts in the state of Ohio to attend Reynoldsburg City Schools. This is the first time Reynoldsburg has opened its doors to non-residents interested in attending Reynoldsburg schools. Superintendent Dackin points out that open enrollment is allowing 58 families who had moved to another district to keep their students in a Reynoldsburg school, thus reducing mobility. More than 180 students were accepted this year. Nearly $1 million in state aid was brought into the district, helping to offset losses of local and state money. The district can limit the number of students they accept, based on the space available in their building and the size of their staff. Applications are due by June 7 of the school year preceding the year for which open enrollment is sought. Resident students have first priority and previously enrolled non-resident students have preference over first-time applicants. Reynoldsburg and Columbus are the only Franklin County districts to adopt an open enrollment policy. Technology, Group Learning to Play Larger Roles in Classrooms at Hannah Ashton Middle School Generally speaking, blended learning entails educating a group of students in two or more settings. Today, the term typically refers to the use of technology in at least one of those settings. Hannah Ashton Middle School is piloting a blended learning model, known as Oasis. Through Oasis, students are educated in up to three classroom settings in the same classroom at the same time: a classroom where learning is facilitated by a teacher; where students assess their learning of all core subjects online (English, math, science, and social studies); and where students learn and problem solve in groups. Here’s how it works: During half of the class period, the teacher serves as a facilitator with a small group of students while another small group of students work on online assignments that provide immediate feedback on their lessons – the groups then switch for the second half of the class period. As a result, students, teachers, and parents have a daily academic report, which facilitates targeted intervention. This model can include in the rotation a third small group doing problem-solving project work. If this pilot is successful, Reynoldsburg will expand districtwide. 8 1 2 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Reynoldsburg Reach: One High School, Two Campuses Reynoldsburg’s 2001 facilities plan indicated that a new high school building was needed to accommodate enrollment growth. However, the school district had to ask voters to approve a bond issue to cover construction costs. Voters rejected a facility bond issue in 2006. Voter rejection of the 2006 bond issue prompted the district to launch the Reynoldsburg Reach Campaign for the 2008 bond issue – the district New auditorium at Encore Academy pledged community outreach. Responding to the district’s located on the Summ it Campus. pledge, voters approved the 2008 bond issue and the district kept its promise by participating in 30 community meetings to plan the new school. These meetings reflected the community’s preference for equity, unity, and college-‐‑ and career-‐‑ readiness and influenced the small academy design. Having one high school with two campuses is consistent with the district’s emphasis on school choice. One high school unifies the community in support of sports, drama, and internship programs. Reynoldsburg ‘s Race to the Top Grant Supports Promising Practices Ohio was awarded a $400 million Race to the Top (RttT) grant in August 2010. Some of the grant supports the Ohio Department of Education's efforts to implement Ohio's Race to the Top plan; the majority was distributed to 456 school districts and public charter schools. Reynoldsburg will receive $770,365 over the four-year life of the grant. "The grant allowed Reynoldsburg to scale promising practices that are resulting in improvement in the district’s overall performance," says Tina Thomas-Manning, Reynoldsburg’s former Executive Director of Middle Level Education. She adds, "Although it may be too soon to assign any of these results to the work funded by Race to the Top, we have established close alignment to college-career ready standards in many of our buildings; we have developed one of the largest STEM pipelines in the country (with 2,150 students K-12 now enrolled in STEM schools); and we have transformed our comprehensive high school into four college-career interest-based academies. We are in the process of planning and designing a second school of choice at the elementary level in order to meet demand.” 9 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Reynoldsburg is also the recipient of an additional Race to the Top Innovative Program grant to start an early college. According to ThomasManning, “Our approach with our lead higher education partner, Columbus State, has been to start-up and scale simultaneously. The number of high school students taking college courses has grown from a couple of dozen to a couple of hundred in two years. We expect to reach 1,000 students – half of our high school enrollment— taking college courses at any given time by the time the grant expires.” With the help of Race to the Top, “we have developed one of the largest STEM pipelines in the country (with 2,150 students K-‐‑12 now enrolled in STEM schools).” Thomas-Manning concludes, “All of our work is built on the sound foundation of standards, performance, and data, which are the core of Race to the Top.” Reynoldsburg Is the First K-‐‑12 District to Support Helping More Central Ohioans Earn Vocational Certificates or Two-‐‑Year Degrees ~ Tina Thomas-‐‑ Manning In September 2012, Reynoldsburg City Schools became the first K-12 district to sign the Central Ohio Compact. Since then, Upper Arlington and South-Western have signed on; Dublin is also discussing it. Columbus State is holding its Fourth Regional Summit in April 2013. The Central Ohio Compact is a regional strategy that grew from the Lumina Foundation’s educational goals and the Columbus 2020 economic development initiative. The agreement among school districts, career technical centers, colleges, and universities has a big goal – that "60 percent of the region's adults will have earned a post-secondary certificate or degree by 2025." That percentage is now about 44 percent. Tina Thomas-‐‑Manning, Reynoldsburg’s Former Executive Director of Middle Level Education, Joined the Ohio Department of Education Reynoldsburg City Schools’ former Executive Director of Middle Level Education and former Hannah Ashton Middle School principal, Tina Thomas-‐‑Manning, was appointed as the Ohio Department of Education’s Associate Superintendent for the Division of Accountability and Quality Schools beginning January 2013. While Tina was principal for five years, Hannah Ashton Middle School’s rating rose from a C to an A+. She attributes this success to a culture of high expectations for all students. Fifty-‐‑ eight percent of Hannah Ashton Middle School students are economically disadvantaged. 10 KidsOhio.org Winter/Spring 2013 Superintendent Steve Dackin Leads Change Reynoldsburg Superintendent Stephen D. Dackin has been a history teacher, an assistant principal, and a principal, including at Reynoldsburg High School. He also served in director positions at the Ohio Department of Education and Westerville City Schools and as Reynoldsburg’s assistant superintendent, where he was mentored by then-Reynoldsburg Superintendent Dick Ross, who is now the Governor’s policy advisor for education. Dackin has been Reynoldsburg’s superintendent since 2008. During Dackin’s tenure, the district earned B, A, or A+ ratings on the state report card each year and the district’s rate of students who are economically disadvantaged increased 10 percentage points to 38 percent. In five years, Dackin reduced the district’s expenditures by 40 percent. In an agreement with the teachers and classified employees unions, the district instituted a salary freeze, reduced compensation for building and central office administrators, and launched merit pay for teachers and administrators. The district also shares services with several organizations, including community schools, higher education, and health care. Dackin also sits on the board of School Choice Ohio and serves on the Columbus City Schools’ Innovation Fund Committee, an indication that other educators value his counsel. Reynoldsburg’s capacity for initiatives that improve student outcomes can be attributed to three organizational priorities, according to Superintendent Dackin. First, and foremost, is a core belief shared by educators, support staff, and district leaders: Every child can succeed. Poverty, race, disabilities and problems at home are no excuse for failure to learn. Student progress is monitored closely week by week so that interventions are swift. If children are not meeting their targets, it is the responsibility of the adults to change strategies. Innovation is a necessity. Second is delegating authority to educators who are closest to students. Principals are regarded as the most important positions in the district, while central office administrators exist to support and build capacity among the principals. “A great principal can create an environment in which a mediocre teacher can become a great teacher, and an environment in which all children can become great students,” Dackin said. “I won’t settle for anything less. A good principal isn’t good enough.” Principals are given the authority and flexibility to meet the needs and interests of the students they serve. They have autonomy in hiring, firing, curriculum, procedures, and school spending. Then, they are held accountable for their students’ growth and achievement. As a result, some principals have been replaced. Leadership is also distributed among teachers and support staff, who are held accountable for the learning of their students. District staff members play a key role in designing, implementing, and improving all of the district’s initiatives. The third priority is partnership with businesses and organizations that can play a significant role in preparing students for college, careers, and citizenship. Sustainable partnerships are based on shared goals and clearly benefit both parties. Steve Dackin is moving forward in expanding school reform and launching new education innovations in Reynoldsburg City Schools. 11 KidsOhio.org Winter 2012-‐‑2013 Franklin County School Districts KidsOhio.org Established in 2002, KidsOhio.org provides nonpartisan information about key education trends in Columbus and statewide. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, KidsOhio.org is funded by the private sector and does not accept government or school district monies or contracts. KidsOhio.org Board Abigail Wexner, CEO, Whitebarn Associates Dale Heydlauff, President, American Electric Power Foundation Chad Jester, President, Nationwide Insurance Foundation Linda Kass, Trustee, The Ohio State University Jeffrey Lyttle, Sr. Vice President, Local Media & Community Engagement, JPMorgan Chase & Company Frederick L. Ransier, Esq., Partner, Vorys, Seymour, Sater & Pease Ilana Horowitz Ratner, Education Consultant Elizabeth Ruppert, M.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Toledo College of Medicine Barbara Trueman, Community Leader & Former Teacher Leadership and Staff Mark Real, President & CEO Ann Bischoff, Senior Director of Research & Grants Erika Braunginn, Policy Analyst Mary Hopmann, Office/Business Manager & Program Associate This report is based on the most recently available information provided by the Ohio Department of Education. Analysis is by KidsOhio.org. All photos are from Reynoldsburg’s Summit Campus © Mary Hopmann. We welcome suggestions to improve the content of reports. Please send your suggestions to Mary Hopmann at [email protected].
© Copyright 2025 Paperzz