The Iowa Department of Education has released its annual ranking of schools. The Department’s Information Bureau chief Jay Pennington says it’s the first time the School Performance Profiles had used an updated state plan for school accountability and support.
Thirty-five schools were listed as “in need of comprehensive support and improvement,” the lowest performance level. Pennington says that’s similar to what the previous system showed.
He says there were 15 schools that are carrying over that comprehensive designation from the prior year, and 20 additional schools that are that now have that status. Pennington says schools are targeted for a particular student group within a school.
Pennington says more than 93 percent of the 351 schools within the state were identified for having students with disabilities underperforming. There were other cases where there was a decrease in the reason why schools were identified.
He says the report is the beginning of the process and the department has a school improvement team that will work directly with schools on a school improvement plan. Pennington encourages you to check out your school district ranking and the other information.
You can see the full report at www.iaschoolperformance.gov.
