The Ohio Department of Education released the 2007-2008 report card and of 612 school districts, 74 were graded "Excellent with Distinction."

Three of those 74 districts include Green, Lake and Manchester.

"The district is rated 'Excellent with Distinction' because of the team effort of all who work with the students," said Manchester Superintendent Sam Reynolds.

"To receive an acknowledgment as prestigious as this, it has to be a team effort," stated Green Superintendent Dr. Wade Lucas. "It takes an entire community to educate a child."

"Hats off to our teachers, parents, students  and support staff," said Lake Superintendent Jeff Wendorf. "They’re seeing their hard work pay off."

There are six designations, according to the state report card. Excellent with Distinction is the highest, followed by Excellent, Effective, Continuous Improvement, Academic Watch and the worst being Academic Emergency. No school district in Ohio scored an Academic Emergency rating.

Coventry earned an "Effective" rating, meeting 23 of 30 indicators.

"We're not where we want to be," stated Coventry Superintendent Rusty Chaboudy. "We were excited that our high school was rated 'Excellent' for the third year in a row, but we're disappointed in our fifth and eighth grade math scores."

Coventry has implemented many programs over the last two years. Every three years, the state testing round raises the level of proficiency. "I know there is a situation called the 'implementation dip' and we were caught this year in the second year of an implimenation cycle," stated Chaboudy.

"We'll continue to work hard," said Chaboudy. "Our teachers work hard and we'll work in the areas where students demonstrated a weakness."

Springfield was named an "Excellent" district, earning 23 of the state's indicators.

Indicators are state assessments that take into account attendance and graduation rates. To meet test indicators, at least 75 percent of the students tested must score proficient or higher.
New this year, mandated by federal guidelines, was the AYP, Adequate Yearly Progress. This measuring stick looks at growth of a student over an intended period, and “value-added measure,” a rating that measures the district’s progress from the previous school year. The three ratings of value-added measure were “above,” “met” and “below” expected growth.

Lucas said a one-day test is a "snapshot" of a student's abilities on one particular testing day. However, the AYP, he said, allows educators to measure a child's progress over time. "It's a better way to measure," he said.

Coventry met 23 of the state’s indicators and did not meet the AYP. Manchester met 28 of 30 indicators and met the AYP. Green met all 30 indicators and the AYP. Like Coventry, Springfield met 23 of 30 indicators and did not meet the AYP. Lake met all 30 indicators and met the AYP.
Green, Lake, Manchester and Springfield were rated “above” expected growth. Coventry was rated below.

The report card gives each school district in the state a Performance Index Score. On a scale of 0 to 120, this rating reflects the achievement of every student enrolled for a full academic year.
Lake ranked 12th in the state in Performance Index with a score of 107.2.

“When we look at the performance index, it is a fantastic thing,” said Wendorf. “Our students are performing at higher levels.”

Green’s  and Manchester’s students are performing at higher levels too. Green’s Performance Index Score was 104 and Manchester’s was 100. Coventry’s Performance Index Score was 93.8 and Springfield’s was 93.5.

Springfield and Coventry’s scores were close in all categories, except for the AYP.

Superintendents agree while the annual report card is an indication of district strengths and weaknesses, it does not measure a student's entire educational process.

"We're extremely proud we’re an ‘Excellent with Distinction' district, but it's more than academics," said Lucas. "We're building a total person. There's no test for students in character and community service. The real test is how we act in a democracy. We receive reports that when our students enter the real world, they are a total, well-rounded person. That’s important."

Reynolds said “community value” attributes to Manchester’s “Excellent with Distinction” rating.

"We call that effort ‘Panther Pride,’” stated Reynolds. “It is a community value and has brought much success to the school system.”