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District report card shows mixed results; DPI adjusted cut scores complicate year-to-year comparisons
Summary
Reedsburg staff presented the 2023–24 district report card, noting small changes in overall scores, gains in achievement, a rise in growth percentile for the district and concerns about lagging target-group measures; staff described state modifications to cut scores that affect comparability with prior years.
District staff presented the Reedsburg School District’s 2023–24 report card and explained how state adjustments to cut scores affected the report-card outcomes.
Mark (staff member) told the board the district’s overall score changed only slightly year to year; he said “Overall, our score decreased by 0.1 points from 22–23 to 23–24.” He also noted that achievement scores rose in all schools, which he said resulted in a 1.4‑point increase in the district achievement component for 23–24. Reedsburg Area High School’s growth percentile rose by 15.8 points and was cited as a primary driver of the district’s stronger growth percentile.
Staff described target-group outcomes (the measure focused on the lowest 25% of achievers) as an area of ongoing concern; that score decreased by 1.1 points and the district’s percentile rank declined. Chronic absenteeism was reported to have improved—Mark said the chronic-absence score decreased by 3.7 points—but he cautioned that attendance data on the report card are based on the 2022–23 school year and therefore lag current local improvements.
Mark explained that the Department of Public Instruction modified scoring after new assessment cut scores produced unusually high proficiency rates. He read the DPI rationale: the state adjusted report‑card scoring for 23–24 to preserve comparability and stability with prior years and said DPI intended the measure change to be temporary for one year. Board members and staff voiced uncertainty about how DPI’s modification will affect long-term trend analysis.
Staff framed the district’s strategic work — particularly inclusive practices intended to improve outcomes for the district’s lowest-performing students — as ongoing and not yet fully visible in the report-card data. No board action was taken on the report-card presentation.
