Wisconsin Heights High School test scores are in top two percent of all schools in the state

No doubt eagerly awaited by school administrators, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s district report cards came out last week and Dale Green, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, made the board’s night telling them how well Wisconsin Heights did. Green explained: “The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) produces a district report card and school report card for every public school and district in Wisconsin. The report cards include data on multiple indicators such as student achievement, growth, closing gaps, and on-track and post-secondary success. The report card also measures dropout rates and chronic absenteeism.” The District’s overall score was a 77, which means “exceeds expectations.” The score is then broken out into four “Priority Areas.”  In the first priority area—achievement—Heights was at the same or better level than 86 percent of state school districts. In the second area—growth—Heights performed equal to or better than 93 percent of districts in the state.  The third area, “target group outcomes,” concerns students with the lowest test scores. It’s design to promote equity by focusing on students who need the most support. Wisconsin Heights scored equal to or better than 83 percent of the districts in the state. The fourth priority area, called “On-track to graduation,” measures how successfully students are completing their entire K-12 education. Wisconsin Heights scored equal to or better than 81 percent of the districts in the state. Components include chronic absenteeism, where Heights scored a 92 out of 100 and exceeded the state average. Another is the average graduation rate, where Wisconsin Heights’ score of 98.2 puts it nearly 7 above the state average.  Since this year’s report card is based on last year’s data, it’s still broken out by Mazomanie and Black Earth Elementary schools. Both exceeded expectations. The Middle School did as well. It was the High School scores that elicited the biggest response from the board. The High School scored an 85, or “significantly exceeds expectations.” In the growth priority area, measured through mathematics scores, the high school scored a perfect 100 out of 100. (The state average was 66.) English Language Arts scored were nearly as high, at 90. Green later summarized the report card with some useful figures: The District’s academic achievement is in the 86th percentile. Academic growth is in the 93rd percentile. For the High School: Academic achievement in the 91st percentile; and academic growth in the 98th percentile.  That means Wisconsin Heights High School is in the top two percent of high schools in the state in terms of academic growth. And top ten percent for academic achievement.