As part of the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the state of Iowa is required to create an accountability system for all schools.  Iowa’s system is comprised of multiple weighted measures which combine to determine an overall performance rating. Schools’ accountability rating is based on the following accountability measures: Student participation on state assessments, academic achievement (proficiency and average scale score), student growth, graduation rate, progress in achieving English language proficiency, and a student survey of safety, engagement, and overall environment (Conditions for Learning).

Along with all students’ group, Iowa includes student subgroups in the accountability system.  For subgroups to be part of a school’s rating there needs to be a minimum of 20 students in that subgroup.  Carlisle CSD’s student subgroups for the 2018 ratings are:

1.      Low socio-economic status as measured by free/reduced-price lunch eligibility
2.      Students with disabilities (IEP)
3.      Race/Ethnicity groups

The state’s accountability system has three school rating levels (Met, Targeted, and Comprehensive).  Carlisle CSD school ratings are:

•       Carlisle Elementary School: Met
•       Hartford Upper Elementary School: Targeted (Students with disabilities subgroup performance)
•       Carlisle Middle School: Met
•       Carlisle High School: Targeted (Low socio-economic status subgroup performance)

Knowing where we are, and knowing where we want to go is a key part of our growth as a district.  In fact, it is the foundation of our district culture.  Our schools regularly use academic performance data to tell us how our students are progressing and to adjust instruction for better results. The district’s two targeted schools will continue the process of analyzing student performance data to develop an action plan to improve academic results.

The state’s accountability ratings, which are heavily weighted on student performance on the Iowa Assessment, can provide information and areas of improvement on our schools. The real evidence of our impact on student learning occurs every day in our classrooms. Our dedicated staff works each day to make sure all students excel and are prepared for the next level of success. I know that our school teams will be successful in their action planning which will lead to overall district improvement.