MORROW, OHIO - Ohio Board of Education member Sam Schloemer recently visited Little Miami to congratulate the district for earning an "Excellent" rating on the 2008-2009 report card.
"Our scores are the best in district history. This Excellent rating is a real testimony to the hard work of our outstanding teachers to ensure success for all students," said Superintendent Dan Bennett.
Morrow Elementary School and Little Miami Junior High School achieved the highest rating on the report card – Excellence with Distinction – by exceeding expected gains for two consecutive years. Four buildings – Little Miami High School, Butlerville Elementary School, Maineville Elementary and the new Salem Twp. Elementary School – all earned Excellent ratings. Little Miami Intermediate School received an Effective rating. The district saw improvement in almost every test indicator with an average of nearly 3% growth across the 28 state tests.
One key to the district's success was implementing professional learning communities focused on developing an internal accountability system that drives student learning. For example, at Little Miami Junior High School –where the school averaged a 5.4% percentage point gain across the 7 test areas – each department met to develop common assessments that would be given to students to measure how well they were learning the content. The teachers then analyzed the data and implemented interventions to support the areas students were weaker. Teachers also shared instructional strategies that worked with their students.
"We will not be satisfied until every student is passing and graduating," Mr. Bennett explained. "Our Administrative Team began to analyze the data this summer, and we will delve deeper with the coming school year. Working with our teachers, we will continue to implement strategies so that all our students are successful in every test area."
Additionally, Little Miami met Adequately Yearly Progress. AYP is a provision in the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires all student subgroups to be at or above annual goals or to improve over the year before in reading, math, attendance and graduation rates.
"Our scores are the best in district history. This Excellent rating is a real testimony to the hard work of our outstanding teachers to ensure success for all students," said Superintendent Dan Bennett.
Morrow Elementary School and Little Miami Junior High School achieved the highest rating on the report card – Excellence with Distinction – by exceeding expected gains for two consecutive years. Four buildings – Little Miami High School, Butlerville Elementary School, Maineville Elementary and the new Salem Twp. Elementary School – all earned Excellent ratings. Little Miami Intermediate School received an Effective rating. The district saw improvement in almost every test indicator with an average of nearly 3% growth across the 28 state tests.
One key to the district's success was implementing professional learning communities focused on developing an internal accountability system that drives student learning. For example, at Little Miami Junior High School –where the school averaged a 5.4% percentage point gain across the 7 test areas – each department met to develop common assessments that would be given to students to measure how well they were learning the content. The teachers then analyzed the data and implemented interventions to support the areas students were weaker. Teachers also shared instructional strategies that worked with their students.
"We will not be satisfied until every student is passing and graduating," Mr. Bennett explained. "Our Administrative Team began to analyze the data this summer, and we will delve deeper with the coming school year. Working with our teachers, we will continue to implement strategies so that all our students are successful in every test area."
Additionally, Little Miami met Adequately Yearly Progress. AYP is a provision in the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires all student subgroups to be at or above annual goals or to improve over the year before in reading, math, attendance and graduation rates.
