Watch Schools and Districts

State law1 requires the Ohio Department of Education to identify schools annually that fail to show satisfactory achievement and progress for four specific subgroups of students if they also receive state funding earmarked to serve those student groups. The four subgroups include English learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and gifted students. Schools identified under this provision must submit an improvement plan to the agency. The spreadsheet posted includes schools and districts identified for state watch as well as those schools and districts that have demonstrated an ability to serve each subgroup of students.

1Ohio Revised Code 3317.40

When are schools and districts identified?
Schools and districts are identified annually after the release of the Ohio School Report Cards.

Who is included?
All traditional public districts not identified as community schools or STEM-designated schools and all schools (public district schools, community schools, STEM-designated schools and schools designated as dropout prevention and recovery community schools) that receive funding specifically designated for serving students in the following four subgroups: English learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged  and gifted students.

For a subgroup to be evaluated, the school (or district) had to serve an adequate number of students in the group based on 2018-2019 test data and it also must have received funding for that student group during the 2018-2019 school year.

For English learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged subgroups, there must be at least 25 students for the 2018 identification. In 2019, the subgroup requirement will be 20 students. In 2020, the subgroup size requirement will be 15 students. For the subgroup of students identified as gifted, there must be at least 10 students for the subgroup to be evaluated.

What is calculated?
To compile the Watch schools/district list, each subgroup is evaluated separately for achievement and progress. To be identified, a subgroup must show it failed to make satisfactory achievement and failed to make satisfactory progress with at least one of its funded subgroups. If the subgroup made either satisfactory achievement or satisfactory progress, it is not identified as a Watch school/district.

Achievement calculation
To determine which schools had satisfactory achievement, the 2018-2019 English language arts test data for the evaluated schools is combined to compute a 2019 average Performance Index score for the schools in English language arts. A second calculation combines the 2018-2019 math test data for the evaluated schools to compute a 2019 average Performance Index score for the schools in math.

The English language arts average and math average are calculated separately for each of the four evaluated subgroups.

Progress calculation
The Progress calculation uses Value-Added data if available at the subgroup level. The one-year gain index is calculated for English language arts and math for each subgroup with more than six students in a grade and subject (Grades 4-8 tests and subjects) and 10 students per end-of-course test. The gain index is reported numerically and assigned a letter grade.

How are schools and districts identified?
A school or district meets the state Watch school/district criteria for its English learner subgroup if:
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory achievement because it scored below the English learners subgroup’s average Performance Index score in both English language arts and math; and
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least “-1” or higher in either the English language arts or math Value-Added one-year gain.

For subgroups or subjects without Value-Added, the subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least 50 Annual Measurable Objective improvement points in either English language arts or math.

A school or district meets the state Watch school/district criteria for its students with disabilities subgroup if:
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory achievement because it scored below the students with disabilities subgroup’s average Performance Index in both English language arts and math; and
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least “-1” or higher in either the English language arts or math Value-Added one-year gain.

For subgroups or subjects without Value-Added, the subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least 50 Annual Measurable Objective improvement points in either English language arts or math.

A school or district meets the state Watch school/district criteria for its economically disadvantaged subgroup if:

  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory achievement because it scored below the economically disadvantaged subgroup’s average Performance Index in both English language arts and math; and
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least “-1” or higher in either the English language arts or math Value-Added one-year gain.

For subgroups or subjects without Value-Added, the subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least 50 Annual Measurable Objective improvement points in either English language arts or math.

  • A school or district meets the state Watch school/district criteria for its gifted subgroup if:
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory achievement because the school’s gifted Performance Index score was below 117 in 2018-2019; and
  • The subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least “-1” or higher in either the English language arts or math Value-Added one-year gain.

For subgroups without Value-Added, the subgroup failed to show satisfactory progress because it did not earn at least 50 Annual Measurable Objective improvement points in either English language arts or math. Unlike the other subgroups in this identification criteria, the Annual Measurable Objectives calculation does not currently include a gifted subgroup and the Annual Measurable Objectives improvement points will therefore be calculated by Department staff according to all existing Annual Measurable Objective business rules using the gifted Performance Index — the calculation will include the Annual Measurable Objectives goal of 117 for English language arts and math in alignment with the Gifted Indicator on the Ohio School Report Cards.

Watch School Resources

Last Modified: 12/8/2022 11:14:22 AM