Vote

Is anyone else getting a bit worn out with all the campaign commercials? I know I am! Luckily they'll all be over a week from now. Election Day is next Tuesday, November 8th. As annoying as these commercials all, hopefully they serve as a reminder to everyone how important it is that you vote. Exercising your right to vote is among the most fundamental rights you have as a citizen. This is the one opportunity to make your voice heard where it can actually make a difference. 

For many there is no ideal candidate. Perhaps you like the policy position of one candidate over another, only to find you disagree with them on a different. That is certainly the case for me. There is no one candidate or elected official that I agree with 100% of the time. It becomes a matter of choices and priorities. Can I live with this one disagreement if another issue is incredibly important? Most of the time I can, and I suspect many of you approach the ballot box with the same logic. 

While this isn't a general election where we will be voting for the president, I believe the mid-term election is equally important. In fact, it could probably be argued that it is more important. In Iowa, the mid-term election is where we elect the governor, members of Congress, and where our state legislative race are determined. While federally elected offices are important, I tend to believe the down-ballot races are much more likely to have an impact on your day to day life than the federal government. (But let's make sure we fill out the entire ballot.)

Each July the school board identifies legislative priorities that will become the focus of our discussion with elected members of the Iowa General Assembly. Now, I wouldn't say these issues are a 'litmus test' of sorts for the candidates that will receive my vote, but it is a safe bet that I am in favor of candidates that are strong supporters of our public school system in Iowa. What does that look like?

Adequate Supplemental State Aid or the percentage by which the state cost per pupil grows annually would be a good place to start. For more than a decade, the state cost per pupil has grown by less than 2%. When compared to inflationary growth of more than 8%, this isn't sustainable for the long term. Furthermore, calls for Educational Savings Accounts (or vouchers) will only make the low supplemental state aid problem worse. This is because of a direct shift in those funds from the public school to the non-public school. In a small rural school district that is barely making ends meet due to low per pupil growth, the loss of a few students (and the per pupil funding that goes along with them) would be incredibly destructive to the economies of scale under which a school district operates. It could mean the difference between maintaining the staffing necessary to operate the school with class sizes that are either too small to be economically feasible or too large to attract talent. 

These are just a couple of the priorities that have been outlined by our school board for the next legislative session. For more details about these priorities or to see others as outlined by the board, please check here. Make certain you are well educated about all the issues that are important to you and get out and vote!

Hudson Schools Excel on Iowa Performance Profile

The Iowa School Performance Profile for the 2021-22 school year was released on Friday, October 21. According to the profile, 19 schools (or 1.47%) statewide were identified as “Exceptional.” Of those, Hudson Elementary was ranked second in the state.

In fact, our elementary school improved its position from last year by 5.65 points. To reach “Exceptional” status, schools must hit the cut score of 66.31. With a raw score of 71.96, this no doubt puts our elementary school in the top category.

Federal legislation known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all states to publish report cards that reflect the performance of public schools. In Iowa, this takes the form of the Iowa Performance Profile. The report card is designed to provide an overall view of school performance across several metrics, providing detailed information that makes it easier to see how well our schools are serving students.

With an overall score of 58.97, the Hudson 7-12 grade building solidly scored in the “Commendable” category, missing out on the “High Performing” designation by just 1.82 points. Hudson ranks fifth in the North Iowa Cedar League, but the difference between us and the No. 2 spot is a mere .28 points.

The rankings are calculated based on a number of core measures that are tied back to the ISASP statewide assessment that is administered each spring. Each of those measures is weighted to calculate the raw score. Those core measures are:

Student Participation on State Assessments: This requires that a minimum of 95% of a school’s enrollment participate in the annual state assessment. The 95% rule also applies to a school’s student subgroups. In Hudson Schools, our participation rate for English/Language Arts was 99.63% and was 88.82% for math.

Proficiency: This measure examines the percentage of students in a school who are proficient in math and reading, based on assessment results.

Average Scale Score: This measure provides information about the average performance of students in reading and mathematics in a school. It is a broader look at the overall achievement of all students.

Student Growth: This examines student growth by looking at assessment scores over time to determine whether a student performed better or worse than their academic peers (students at the same grade level with similar scores).

Graduation Rate (High Schools): This measurement determines the percentage of students who graduate from high school in four or five years.

Postsecondary Readiness (High Schools): This measure includes multiple pathways for students to demonstrate postsecondary readiness, including participation and success on a college entrance exam, college-level and postsecondary course work, and career and technical education.

Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency: For students whose first language is not English, this measures a student’s progress in obtaining English language proficiency across the domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This measure is based on Iowa’s English language proficiency assessment, called ELPA21.

Conditions for Learning: This measures school safety, engagement, and the learning environment based on a survey of students in grades 5-12.

You can view a snapshot of our data and how we compare to statewide averages at this link. The quick takeaway here is that Hudson beats the statewide average in almost every category—often by a wide margin. Even when comparing to other schools in our Area Education Agency service area, which one could argue is a more appropriate comparability group due to geography and school makeup, Hudson Schools are performing at very high levels. 

Our success can be attributed to a talented and high-performing faculty and staff who have an unrelenting focus on ensuring their core instruction is properly aligned both horizontally and vertically. Doing so guarantees a viable curriculum for all students. 

Furthermore, our focus on early intervention and progress monitoring that capitalizes on high-quality interventions makes sure certain gaps in instruction are both mitigated and minimized. Our teachers and staff work hard to motivate students and provide instruction that is engaging and rigorous. The students in our district are hard working and have parents and families who understand and value the importance of a high-quality education.

Congratulations to the Hudson Community School District and our faculty, staff, students, and families on a great report card!