Lakota maintains 4.5 stars on Ohio report card; district outlines steps to reach 5
Summary
Lakota officials told the school board on Oct. 20 that the district retained a 4.5 overall rating on the 2024–25 Ohio State report card and outlined targeted steps to reach five stars, with a special focus on CCWMR and early literacy.
Lakota School District officials told the Board of Education on Oct. 20 that the district maintained an overall 4.5 rating on the 2024–25 Ohio State report card and presented targeted actions aimed at reaching a five‑star rating.
Superintendent Dr. Whiteley led a presentation by the district curriculum team that summarized component ratings: achievement (4 stars), progress (4), gap‑closing (5), graduation (4), early literacy (3) and the newly weighted college‑career‑workforce‑military readiness component (CCWMR) at 2 stars for this cohort. Presenters said the CCWMR score should improve in the next year based on initiatives already in place.
Justin Wilson (assistant director, assessment) and Andrew Wheatley (director of curriculum for grades 7–12) walked trustees through the data behind each component and the district’s action steps. Key numbers and trends the team highlighted included:
• Continued increases in the state performance index and more students in accelerated and advanced performance bands. Officials said the proportion of students earning advanced‑level scores has grown over several years and limited/basic categories have declined.
• A fivefold increase in College Credit Plus (CCP) enrollment since 2022, with students earning roughly 11,000 CCP credits in the last year and a projection of 13,000+ this year. Officials said the share of graduates who had earned 12 or more CCP credits rose from about 8.9% three years ago to about 19% this year.
• AP enrollment rose 51% over three years, with the share of AP exam takers scoring a 3 or higher increasing from about 75% to 86%.
• CCWMR: The district scored 2 stars on the first fully weighted CCWMR measure for the cohort presented (the report card uses the graduating cohort’s prior years). Wheatley said current program changes — including increased CCP and AP participation and employer/Butler Tech partnerships — already point to expected gains; staff said preliminary projections indicate Lakota will reach the 3‑star threshold in next year’s cohort.
• Early literacy (K–3) rated 3 stars. Presenters said some higher‑performing schools had continuous grade bands (K–3 without students moving buildings) and higher proportions of students entering kindergarten already on track; the district plans to emphasize foundational skills, use teacher‑based teams (TBTs) and align K–3 readiness assessments to close gaps.
Guest presenters included Dawn Harris (director of gifted services), Emily Herman (K–6 curriculum) and Kristen McCormick (director of English learner services), who described focused professional development, increased teacher coaching, and closer data use to support gifted and English‑learner progress. Harris noted the gifted metrics are scored as discrete point blocks (0 or 5) across achievement, progress and identification/service and said the district’s full‑year measurement showed progress in identification and growth with more work to do on achievement by the OST measure.
Board members asked detailed questions about sustaining gains, junior high supports to feed AP/CCP pipelines, how the district advises students for CCWMR indicators, and what the board could do to help (the team said continuing to support curriculum adoptions and district investments would help). Several trustees praised the work and emphasized the link between curriculum, staffing and facilities decisions.
Ending: The board received the report and asked staff to return with follow‑up information on specific action‑plan timelines, the independent readiness/routing audit tied to facilities planning, and additional detail on K–3 interventions and junior high academic supports.
