Big Walnut reports modest gains on state report card, outlines curriculum and career-pathway plans

Mike Robertson, a district academic staff member, told the Big Walnut Local Schools Board of Education on Oct. 20 that the district picked up a star in the state report card’s gap‑closing component and posted a modest increase in its performance index percentage, but that early‑literacy measures dipped.

The report matters because state report‑card components inform district priorities, curriculum choices and which interventions the administration pursues to improve outcomes for students across subgroups.

Robertson described the district’s recent curriculum adoptions and supports he said are aimed at improving reading comprehension, math progress and post‑high‑school readiness. He said the district adopted CKLA for K–5 English language arts, expanded early literacy resources such as Fundations, added a K–2 math benchmark (Acadience) and implemented a K–3 remediation program. He said those steps—plus targeted professional development and vendor coaching—are intended to strengthen comprehension and growth measures.

“We continue to see gains in our report card. We picked up a star in gap closing,” Robertson said, and added that the district’s overall performance index rose by 0.6 percentage…