Middletown schools receive 2‑star Ohio report card; board hears details and questions about literacy and graduation tracking

Middletown City Schools administrators on Tuesday outlined the district’s 2024–25 Ohio report card, saying the district earned a two‑star overall rating while showing gains in some measures and notable building‑level successes.

Carrie Hensley, director of curriculum and instruction, and Chris Thompson, a district presenter, briefed the board on the six report‑card components used by the Ohio Department of Education. "Middletown has a 2 star rating," Hensley said, and Thompson added that a new college‑ and career‑readiness indicator accounts for "12 and a half percent" of the overall score.

The presentation walked the board through achievement (proficiency), progress (growth), gap‑closing (subgroup performance), early literacy, graduation and the new postsecondary readiness indicator. Hensley and Thompson said the district’s achievement score rose slightly over three years, progress shows pockets of above‑expected growth—particularly in math where targeted interventions with Hamilton County helped—and chronic absenteeism dropped enough to earn full points in that subgroup.

On early literacy, Thompson described the state’s composite measure as three buckets: promotion to fourth grade, reading improvement plans tracked by fall‑to‑fall MAP screening, and third‑grade OST proficiency. "We have a screening test that we give all of our K through 3s," he said, and noted the measure is weighted and not equally balanced among those components. Hensley and Thompson told the board that third‑grade proficiency for the cohort measured on the 2025 report card dipped to 33.6% but that current fall screening shows the cohort starting the year around 40%.

Board members pressed staff on how graduation rates are calculated and tracked. Thompson explained graduation reporting is done "in arrears" and combines a four‑year and a five‑year cohort (weighted 60%/40%). He said the report‑card graduation component reflects prior graduating classes and that districts must track students who transfer or fail to reenroll; if the district cannot confirm a student’s continued enrollment elsewhere or their graduation, the student may be counted as not graduated.

Members also raised retention and promotion. When asked why promotion rates at some schools (for example, Rosa Parks Elementary) appeared high while proficiency remained low, staff said Ohio allows parent exemptions from retention and that district policy on retention exists but the state sets the parameters. "Those are the state parameters," Hensley said, describing the role of parent waivers and earlier retentions in the calculation.

The board also received building‑level recognition: Miller Ridge Elementary earned a four‑star rating (the district’s first four‑star building) and a US News Best Elementary School badge for 2024. Principal Karen Gross accepted the recognition; Hensley called it "the very first time in 17 years" the district has had a school at that level.

During questions and discussion, multiple board members urged continued focus on fidelity of reading instruction and sustained implementation of evidence‑based programs such as Orton‑Gillingham and HMH curriculum materials. Administrators said the district has moved to a science‑of‑reading approach and emphasized that consistent implementation over multiple years is needed to see systemwide gains.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the meeting agenda and later approved the consent agenda, which included a contract with the Butler County Educational Service Center for five days of science curriculum support at $3,750. The motion to approve the consent agenda passed by roll call (votes recorded as: Mister Moore: yes; Missus Stewart: yes; Missus Scribe: yes; Doctor Erso: yes; Missus Ramsey Hunt: yes). A motion to adjourn later passed by voice vote.

The report card presentation and follow‑up questions dominated the meeting and set a priority for the board to continue reviewing implementation fidelity of literacy programs and district reporting practices as the district prepares for next year’s report‑card cycle.