DPI releases school report cards

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction today published school and district accountability report cards for the 2022-23 school year. The report cards for the public and private schools in the SDMA school district are below.  Note that the private schools did not receive scores due to the size of the samples and/or the grades involved.  We will discuss these scores in more detail at a later date.  The DPI publishes school and district report cards annually, as required by Wis. Stat. 115.385. Report cards include data for multiple school years across four priority areas: Achievement, Growth, Target Group Outcomes, and On-Track to Graduation. The Achievement and Growth priority areas are weighted based on a district or school percentage of economically disadvantaged pupils, as required by state law. A district or school’s overall accountability score places it into one of five overall accountability ratings: Significantly Exceeds Expectations (five stars), Exceeds Expectations (four stars), Meets Expectations (three stars), Meets Few Expectations (two stars), and Fails to Meet Expectations (one star). Report cards use up to three years of data, including achievement data from 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. All but one of the public schools in our district received a score of 3 or more stars except Menomonie High School, which received two stars (Meets Few Expectations). Statewide, achievement improved from 2021-22 to 2022-23, though for many schools and districts, 2022-23 achievement performance is lower than pre-pandemic levels; thus, report card achievement scores, overall scores, and ratings may have decreased despite upward trending achievement performance. This is the first report card that does not include achievement data from assessments occurring prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The DPI urges caution when interpreting scores and ratings due to impacts resulting from the pandemic.