TSPR Local

Local Rankings on Iowa School Report Card

Tri States Public Radio | By Jason Parrott

Published December 22, 2015 at 12:32 PM CST

Schools in southeast Iowa appear to be keeping up with their counterparts throughout the state. That's according to the new Iowa School Report Card, which was released this month by the Iowa Department of Education.

Ryan Wise, Director of the Department of Education, said the idea behind the online-rating system is to make it easier for Iowans to hold schools accountable for student progress and to support local efforts to improve schools.

"While this tool doesn't tell the whole story about our schools, it is a valuable source of information that Iowans can use to celebrate successes and to ask questions about how to improve and support their local schools," said Wise.

The Iowa School Report Card is the result of legislation approved by state lawmakers in 2013. It provides schools with one of six ratings.

Exceptional
High-Performing
Commendable
Acceptable
Needs Improvement
Priority

The ratings are based on how schools perform over a two year span in areas such as graduation rates, staff retention, college/career preparation, and student proficiency. There are no penalties or rewards for how a school performs in the rating system.
Wise said the new report card lines up with the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaces No Child Left Behind. He said the new federal law strives to have the state more involved in education as opposed to the federal government.

There is already backlash regarding the Iowa School Report Card, specifically how it takes into account the challenges facing students who qualify for free-or-reduced lunch, who enroll in special education courses, or for whom English is their second language.

Results for Schools in Des Moines, Lee and Van Buren Counties

Exceptional (35 statewide - 3%)