Holzman: ‘We’re not pleased’ with Janesville state report cards – newsbreak.com

JANESVILLE — Janesville Superintendent Mark Holzman addressed the school district’s state report cards Tuesday, saying that “we’re not pleased with the outcome of the results.”

It was part of a broader presention by Holzman to the school board about the district’s recent “successes and challenges.”

Districts are scored on four areas in the report cards: achievement, growth, target group outcomes and on-track to graduation. The district’s overall score was 55.7, which is “meets few expectations.”

“Every school district report card that the DPI has an asterisk says that you are not supposed to compare school district to school district, or school to school, and the reason is because that circle you see changes at every single building and every single district,” Holzman did note.

Holzman touched on achievement and growth scores.

“Where the changes happen is on .. the free and reduced (meal) population,” Holzman said.

Districtwide, 58% of students qualify for free-and-reduced meals.

“Each of our schools, you can imagine, have different free-and-reduced populations and different dynamics, so that’s why that report card score isn’t an indicator. It’s a view for comparison. It’s a view for how we are doing in specific areas.”

The district’s 2023-24 achievement score was a 54.5, up from 54.0 in 2022-23. More narrowly in English language arts, it was 57.7, the same as 2022-23. The state average was 58.3 for 2023-24

In math, the district scored 51.2, up from 50.3. The state average was 57.3 for 2023-24.

“But since our percentage of achievement was less than what it was the year before, it doesn’t lead to growth in our report card score,” Holzman said.

The growth score was 50.8 overall. That is down from 52.7 in 2022-23.

He highligted growth in grades 3-5. The third-grade reading state Forward Exam score was 51.3, third in the state. The Forward Exam math score was 59.6, highest in the state. The eighth-grade Forward Exam score was 46, seventh in the state.

Holzman said absenteeism is going down. The district attendance rate in 2023-24 was 91.4%, up from 90.4% in 2022-23 and 90.3% in 2021-22. The district chronic absenteeism rate, which is defined by 10 or more absences, was 22.5%, down from 26.2% in 2022-23 and 26.4% in 2021-22.

Holzman said that an additional focus is needed on target groups, which include students in the bottom quartile for reading and math. He also identified overall growth as an area of improvement as the growth rate does not meet the state average.

He said the report card score confirms the district’s priorities and that the district is reallocating resources to increase secondary-level achievement.

Holzman outlined four “action steps” in his presentation, including reallocating the resources and supporting the target groups. He also said there is a need to shift resources and support toward students at critical transition points, particularly between elementary and middle school.

Also, there will be an emphasis on the Bridges math curriculum and Wonders reading curriculum. There will be implementation and monitoring of Act 20 statewide assessments and reading plans for students below the 25th percentile. Act 20 is a new state reading law that arequires all schools to provide science-based early literacy instruction in both the classroom and in intervention settings.

Holzman said that the district is making plans to “improve the outcomes of our kids.”

“I would also say that there are many great things going on. We are witness to many of those things tonight that happen in our school district. So, our report cards are not a key indicator of the excellence, or lack thereof, in the school district. I’m confident that the School District of Janesville has many wonderful things, and great things, to offer,” Holzman said.