Dayton schools make progress; takeover threat stalled

Dayton Public Schools earned an “A” on its state report card for student progress, halting the clock on the threatened state takeover and taking a step toward turning around the troubled district.

The progress grade, often referred to as “value added,” judges whether a district’s students made at least one year’s worth of academic growth from the previous school year. An “A” indicates DPS students made more than a year’s worth of growth.

>> RELATED: See how the state graded your school district

The state report cards were released this morning by the Ohio Department of Education.

Dayton’s overall performance was still very low, with F’s in all components other than progress, including the traditional performance index and graduation rate summaries. But the progress grade is crucial.

Chris Woolard, IDE director of accountability, confirmed this morning that Dayton’s “A” in progress means potential state takeover of the district cannot happen in fall 2018.

A school district is subject to an Academic Distress Commission if it gets grades of “F” in performance index and student progress for three straight years. Woolard warned DPS last year that the district was on that path for 2018 if it did not improve.

“While this doesn’t mean the district’s academic performance is where it needs to be, it’s a good start to our turnaround,” new superintendent Rhonda Corr said.

The “A” in progress is a major step for a school district that had not received a grade above a “D” in any category since the state’s letter grade report card was instituted in 2013.

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