Stow-Munroe Falls presents academic update, highlights 4‑star district rating and areas for targeted improvement

The Stow-Munroe Falls City School District on Oct. 14 presented an academic update tied to the district strategic plan and the Ohio school report card, reporting a districtwide four‑star rating and outlining next steps to raise student growth in specific subjects.

District Superintendent Dr. Michael Gould opened the presentation by linking the strategic plan (2021–2026) to the report‑card measures and said the district uses those indicators as “lagging” checks on progress. Julie Miller and curriculum leaders then walked the board through each of the state report‑card components: achievement, progress, early literacy, gap‑closing, gifted measures and the new college‑career‑workforce‑military readiness (CCWMR) component.

The report card for the 2024–25 release (reflecting 2023–24 data) showed an overall district rating of four stars and noted the district “exceeds state standards.” District presenters gave the following details from the state data and local analysis: the district performance index was 91.6 (83.4% of the statewide maximum denominator used by the state); third‑grade math achievement trending at about 76%; fourth‑grade math near 82%; third‑grade reading proficiency at 74%, while promotion to fourth grade was 97.8% (the promotion calculation can include NWEA MAP and a state raw/scale score); and algebra‑1 passage among accelerated eighth graders at about 94%.

Miller said some dips in grade‑level results reflect cohort movement (for example, students who take algebra in eighth grade do not take the grade‑level math 8 test, which changes the denominator and comparability across years). She and other presenters emphasized the district uses cohort and item‑level analyses, common assessments and teacher‑based teams to monitor growth rather than relying solely on the single day state test. Action steps listed in the presentation include refining core instruction, providing professional development on differentiation, strengthening teacher‑based teams and monitoring red‑ and orange‑flagged courses more frequently.

On early literacy, presenters said the district’s third‑grade proficiency rate on the state measure was 74% but that promotion rates were 97.8% because parents may opt to promote students who do not meet the state cutoff and because the district uses additional measures including NWEA MAP and summer interventions. Board members pressed for clarity about what “proficient” represents on the state assessment and how progress monitoring and parent notifications are handled; staff said families receive regular progress reports and that schools use a reading improvement and monitoring plan with biweekly progress checks.

Gifted services were reported as mixed: the gifted performance index was 96.1 (the district said it missed a 97.5 target by roughly one student), gifted progress exceeded the goal, but gifted identification and services for lower grades remain an area for long‑term improvement. The district said it currently provides formal gifted services beginning in grade 4 and is evaluating scheduling and professional development needs to expand services earlier.

Director of Special Services Christy (Christie) Pearl delivered the special education profile, noting the district’s special education population is roughly 15.6% (about 740 students). Pearl said the district’s special‑education rating (a lagging, compliance‑focused indicator) met requirements for the most recent rating cycle, but explained challenges in preschool placements (state guidance favors community‑based settings for some preschool placements) and complexities that affect graduation rates for students with disabilities (including federal rules that allow extended services after four years and exemptions the IEP team may use). She outlined steps to broaden credentialing, work‑based learning and industry‑credential options to provide alternate paths to graduation.

The district also reported a three‑star result on the new CCWMR component and said staff are building a dashboard to track readiness indicators, starting in ninth grade, so counselors and teachers can monitor which students meet at least one readiness pathway (ACT/SAT remediation‑free score, honors diploma, industry credentials, apprenticeship completion, military enlistment, etc.).

Board members asked for follow‑up detail on the algebra and eighth‑grade math cohort, the district’s plan and timeline to expand gifted services to younger grades, and the number of third graders on individualized education plans; staff said they would provide the requested lists and data at upcoming meetings. The board thanked staff for the presentation and for posting the detailed report‑card materials on the district website.

End note: presenters repeatedly stressed that the state school report card is a one‑moment (lagging) snapshot and that the district couples that measure with three‑year progress measures, local assessments (NWEA MAP) and teacher‑team monitoring to guide instruction and interventions.