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Improvement seen in district's 2018-2019 state report card
      Mansfield City Schools has continued its academic improvement efforts which are reflected in performance gains on the 2019 state report card, but Superintendent Stan Jefferson said today the district is focused on greater gains in the school year ahead.

      The district improved in three of the six component grades on the local report card.  Gains occurred in the Progress, Gap Closing and Graduation components.   The B that the district earned in GAP Closing shows that gains are being made for all students as well as our most vulnerable populations. 

      “While we are pleased with the improvement in several areas, we have raised the bar for academic achievement at all levels,” Jefferson said. “Our goal is significant, measurable academic gains for all students.”

      Within the Progress Component, which the looks at the growth of students based on past performance, the district saw three of the four measures improve two letter grades These three groups made the expected growth, which is equivalent to a year’s worth of learning.   

      Jefferson credited the work of former superintendent Brian Garverick and his team. Garverick began work Aug. 1 as the director of alternative learning.

      Stephen Rizzo, the district’s chief academic officer, will continue the process of working with district and school leadership teams to analyze report card data for areas of strength and areas in need of additional improvement.

      “I see growth in many areas. We will review all of the data with our principals and teachers to build on gains and we will also continue to refine strategies for improvement where needed,” Rizzo said. 

      He credits the work of students, staff, and families in making learning a priority both at home and in school.

       “We want our students to engage in learning with clarity and a known purpose,” Rizzo said.

      Jefferson said Mansfield City Schools will never be satisfied with its current overall grade, a composite D. 

      “We know we have more work to do, but we also know – as the Ohio Department of Education acknowledges – that the state report card is only one part of a district’s story,” Jefferson said. “Day in and day out, our students are learning effectively in their classrooms at every level.”

      Jefferson said work will intensify to improve other components of the report card, including students’ performance on state tests, K-3 reading, the graduation rate and preparing students for success when they leave school.  The district is working to implement new literacy materials this fall to support reading achievement.