COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Education is changing the ratings for 20 Columbus schools as a result of a data-scrubbing scandal, though the district’s overall Continuous Improvement rating for 2011 and 2012 did not change.
The ratings for the individual schools were decreased after recalculating more than 200 measures on three years’ worth of Columbus school report cards. The recalculation added scores of 1,500 students that should have counted, but were improperly excluded by local school officials, state school Superintendent Richard Ross said.
More than 100 revisions to district and school ratings across the state followed the investigation into attendance data-scrubbing. Overall ratings of two schools in Cincinnati and one school in Cleveland for 2012 were lowered after the recalculations, while one Cleveland school’s rating improved.
Ross says the department will keep watching data submissions but considers the data-scrubbing investigations concluded.
The revisions mean the EdChoice Scholarship program has been extended to students at three more schools for 2014-2015, including West High School in Columbus.
The state says — of 117 buildings in the Columbus City Schools — 18 saw their ratings reduced on their 2011 report card. In 2012, two Columbus school buildings experienced a rating reduction and two received an increase.
In 2013, Ross says, there were no overall ratings on report cards as the state transitioned to a new grading system.
Meanwhile, an Ohio House panel has scheduled three days of hearings next week on a Republican proposal to repeal Common Core learning standards in the state.
The bill’s sponsors say they’ve heard widespread discontent from parents, teachers and communities on the standards.
Districts are working to implement the standards, which have the backing of a diverse coalition including teachers’ unions and community and business groups.
The Ohio Federation of Teachers has said repeal would create chaos for school districts.