Independence school board discusses state report card

The Independence school board discussed the recently released state report card for the 2020-2021 school year. The district received an overall rating of 70.6, “exceeds expectation.” That score was further broken down by grades: 72 for the elementary school, 78 for the middle school, and 56 for the high school. 

“We have a lot to celebrate here, but we also have some catching up to do if we want to keep growing as a district,” said school counselor Dawn Woychik.

The scores are based on overall student achievement, growth, target outcomes among lowest-performing students, and whether students are on track to graduation. It focuses specifically on math and English results.

Woychik pointed specifically to drop-out rates and absenteeism as factors that affected the high school score. The 2020-2021 school year had a high school absentee rate of 24.6 percent, compared to 23.9 percent for 2019-2020 and 18.6 percent for 2018-2019. These numbers are above the statewide average. Statewide, high school absentee rates increased slightly during covid. The state absentee rate climbed from 18.9 percent for 2018-2019 to 19.7 percent for 2020-2021. 

The board members also discussed the athletic co-op with Gilmanton. The district is considering adding volleyball and basketball to the partnership. The district received 92 responses to its survey, with roughly 60 percent in favor of it. A survey by Gilmanton district produced similar results. 

The two districts will put together a committee to iron out some of the concerns. The state deadline for a volleyball co-op is Feb. 1, with a later deadline for basketball.

Board members revised the cheerleading coach contract, breaking it into separate contracts for fall and winter. Fall has more events but winter is longer. They hope that dividing the contract will make it easier to retain coaching staff.

The board also discussed the results of an In-house survey of third through 12th graders regarding their feelings about the school environment. This was the first year of taking the survey, establishing a baseline for future years.

Special Sections

Comment Here