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!
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