Shorewood Schools Garner High Marks on State Report Card

Shorewood schools are exceeding expectations under new a state Department of Instruction scoring and rating system.

“Report cards” were issued to all Wisconsin public schools for the first time Monday as one component of the state's school accountability system aimed at raising academic expectations. The accountability system allowed Wisconsin to earn a waiver from meeting certain 2014 requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Schools received scores using a 0 to 100 scale, corresponding with five categories starting at "fails to meet expectations" and topping out with "significantly exceeds expectations."

Lake Bluff Elementary School topped all Shorewood public schools with a score of 80.2. Shorewood High School scored a 77.9, Shorewood Intermediate School a 77.6 and Atwater Elementary came in at 74.1. Charter school New Horizons for Learning School was not given a score.

The exceed expectations score ranged from 73 to 82.9. Find Shorewood schools report cards here.

“We are pleased that all our schools exceed expectations,” Shorewood Superintendent Martin Lexmond said. “But, if you begin to look at other comparable schools, we are not where we want to be.”

He said, however, Shorewood prides itself in its liberal arts curriculum, which can't always be measured on standardized tests.

“It’s a real balance in Shorewood,” he added. “We are committing to improving those scores, but keeping what’s important and makes our students and district special."

The report cards grade schools in these areas:

• Student achievement in reading and mathematics on state assessments.
• Student growth measured by year-to-year improvements in achievement.
• Closing gaps in performance between specific student groups.
• Progress to graduation/post secondary readiness using reliable predictors of high school graduation and post-secondary success.

Lexmond said the report cards are very complex and the district is bringing in experts from the state to further explain how they can improve, especially in closing achievement gaps.

“We need to take our time and make sure we fully understand them,” he said.

In a news release, state Superintendent Tony Evers said the preliminary school report cards are "a starting point" and will change over time.

Across the state 2,118 schools were graded, with 85.8 percent meeting or exceeding expectations. Only 68 schools were rated as significantly exceeding expectations (83 to 100) in Wisconsin. Seventy-six schools failed to meet expectations.

Here's how Shorewood schools stack up:

School