The first action in the newsletter this month is to express our gratitude to all of you this holiday season. We want to be sure that our students, staff, parents, and community members hear that we appreciate them. We hope that all of you had an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving. Also, we hope that this next month is filled with excitement and happiness. Columbus is a special place!
For me, the holidays bring an opportunity to reflect and celebrate. I want to take a moment to share and celebrate some recent success that we experienced as a district. During the month of November, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) releases the District and School Report Card for the previous year. It is a variety of data that is combined to give an overall score based on the criteria determined by the DPI. A key component to the Report Card comes from the state assessments for students in grades 3-11. You may have seen an article in the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen on this topic a couple of weeks ago (note: you need a subscription to read). I want to emphasize that the Report Card is only one of several measurements that we use to assess our success. We found the 2023-2024 Report Card to be a positive one for CSD.
The score on the Report Card is composed of the following 4 Priority Areas: Achievement, Growth, Target Group Outcomes, and On-Track to Graduation. An area that we are proud of is our Growth Score Priority Area. The Growth Score compares the amount that our students grew, no matter of their achievement level, compared to similar peers across the state. Our student growth was the same or better than 95.5% of the districts across the state. This is the second year in a row that we have experienced strong results in the Growth Score Priority Area.
Even though it is only one measuring tool, this year’s Report Card results are exciting. Success should be celebrated. We want to celebrate our students for their perseverance and hard work. Also, all of you for your work with your child(ren)! Our dedicated staff has been the key ingredient to continuous improvement. In addition, our Board of Education and community partners have been integral parts to our growth.
We will continue to strive for academic excellence through intentional action and not happenstance. Like most industries, there is a natural ebb and flow for schools. We are realistic that test scores are susceptible to ups and downs. We hope intentionality maximizes our opportunities and increases stability. A few of the recent intentional actions include the following: Implementing Teacher-Leaders, Utilizing Professional Learning Teams, Providing a Variety of Learning Options (DCS/Work-based Learning Experiences), Course Offerings, Co-Curricular Opportunities, Maintaining Appropriate Learning Environment (Reasonable Class Sizes/Facilites/Appropriate Technology), Focus on Visionary Priority Areas/Action Steps, and Aligning Staffing to Student Needs.
Here is a link to a recent presentation regarding the District’s Report Card. The presentation will provide more details than this newsletter article. Please understand that scores are not percentages; instead, they are a formula-based score. We hope that you will take a moment in celebrating the success of our students. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to celebrate. We hope you find it valuable. Happy Holidays to all of you and Go Cards!!!
Jake Flood
Superintendent
Columbus School District
