PARMA, Ohio – After two consecutive overall grades of 3.5 stars, Parma City Schools received 4 stars in the recently released Ohio Department of Education’s school report card.
“This is a great accomplishment for the district,” said Superintendent Scott Hunt, who this summer joined Parma City Schools.
“The report card is really a reflection on the work that’s taking place with our principals and teachers who have a plan in place working strategically to address student achievement, student progress and all the other indicators around the report card.”
A few years removed from replacing a letter-grade system, the Ohio Department of Education’s star-based rating system includes overall ratings — 3 stars means a district meets state standards.
Serving Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills, the district received a 3 stars in achievement, 4 stars in progress, 5 stars in gap closing, 3 stars in graduation and 2 stars in early literacy.
The district’s notable one-star jump is in graduation (from 2 to 3 stars).
“That measurement tracks a cohort of students for four years and there’s also a five-year component that gets adjusted,” he said.
“So the fact that we were able to jump from 2 to 3 stars indicates to me that we’re on the right path, making sure the kids are getting through our programming and they’re walking out of here with the diploma.”
One area that continues to plague the district involves early literacy with Parma City Schools once again receiving only 2 stars.
“Early literacy is the foundation upon which all learning is built,” he said.
“This presents an opportunity for us to reimagine how we support students in reading.”
A new school report card metric is college career workforce & military with the district receiving 4 stars.
That outcome wasn’t a surprise to Hunt.
“The message there is that we’re focused,” he said. “So when they leave here, kids are prepared to step into a two-year or four-year college.
“Also, students certainly are prepared to step into a career pathway out of high school. And those who join the military are ready in terms of their educational foundation.
Overall, the superintendent said the district wants to remain focused.
“I’m looking forward to improving for next year’s report card,” he said.