New state report card lists no Cedar Rapids schools in its top tiers

CEDAR RAPIDS - No schools in the Cedar Rapids district performed highly on a newly released state report card, a Web-based system that evaluates and rates every public school in Iowa based on metrics such as math and reading proficiency and graduation rates.

But the report card, made public Wednesday, places a handful of Iowa City schools in its top tiers.

Required by a state law passed in 2013, the Iowa Department of Education developed the report card to help Iowans better access education statistics. The law does not require any penalties or offer any rewards to schools for their ratings, but was intended to help parents and students learn more about their schools.

It places each school in one of six categories - exceptional, high-performing, commendable, acceptable, needs improvement or priority. The state used data supplied by the districts from the last two academic years on metrics such as math and reading proficiency, graduation rates, attendance and staff retention. It plans to update the report card annually.

But no schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District rated in the two highest categories. Of the district's 31 schools, 74 percent received middle-of-the-road ratings of 'commendable” and 'acceptable,” according to the report.

Five schools were listed as needing improvement and three were rated as 'priority,” the lowest tier. This aligns with results statewide, which show most schools - about 80 percent - fell into the commendable and acceptable categories.

'I think we have really great schools in Cedar Rapids,” said Superintendent Brad Buck, who had served as Iowa's education secretary after the law was adopted. 'I was surprised we didn't have schools in those first two categories.”

The three district schools that received the state's lowest rating - Harrison Elementary, Metro High and Wilson Middle - all fell below state averages in nearly every metric, including one that measures achievement gaps between disabled, low-income and English-language-learning students and their peers.

The proficiency metric, which measures the percentage of students scoring proficient or better on reading and math tests, is weighted to have a heavier impact on a school's overall rating. All three of the Cedar Rapids schools fell below the state average on that measure.

Buck said district schools already have plans in place to address issues pointed out in the report card.

'Each of our buildings have a school implementation plan. Those are focused on student achievement, equity and improved instruction,” Buck said.

For example, to address the achievement gap, the district has taken a systematic approach instead of a programmatic one, putting an emphasis on content standards, improving best practices among teachers and encouraging collaboration, he said.

In the Iowa City Community School District, four of 25 schools were rated in the state's top two tiers of exceptional and high-performing.

But 14 schools were split evenly between the middle-of-the-road ratings of 'commendable” and 'acceptable,” according to the report. Six schools fell into the 'needs improvement” and 'priority” categories.

The priority rated schools - Mark Twain Elementary and Kirkwood Elementary - both fell below the state average in nearly every metric.

The report shows Kirkwood Elementary struggled with proficiency in the last two school years, with 49 percent of students achieving proficiency in math and reading tests, well below the state average of 79 percent. Mark Twain Elementary performed slightly better in that metric, reaching 54 percent proficiency. However, that school had greater struggles closing the achievement gap, according to the report.

The district's three exceptional schools - Bohumil Shimek Elementary, Norman Borlaug Elementary and Lincoln Elementary - all scored above state averages in most of the report card's metrics.

Bohumil Shimek Elementary had 89 percent of students proficient in math and reading, while Norman Borlaug Elementary had 87 percent proficiency and Lincoln had 94 percent proficiency.

District Superintendent Stephen Murley wasn't available for comment.

Ryan Wise, director of the Iowa Department of Education, stressed the ratings are only part of the story of a school's failures and successes.

'We provide data in the spirt of accountability and transparency, as well as in support of efforts to improve schools and to prepare students for success,” Wise said. 'Data and information are critical partners in those efforts. At the same time, each school has an individual story that cannot be told through numbers and ratings.”