News
New State Report Cards Show Link Between Poverty, Student Performance
By: Sarah Hawley | Athens Messenger staff reporter
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Does poverty directly relate to performance on the school report cards recently released by the state of Ohio?
It appears so, according to data and analysis conducted on behalf of the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA), Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA).
“The release of school district report cards underscores the continued strong link between poverty and student achievement,” said Damon Asbury, OSBA director of legislative services. “Data showing this correlation is dramatic, and it’s clear more work is needed in Ohio to address this gap.”
The data show that scores on state standardized tests vary at school districts based on the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled. The analysis looked at the latest performance index scores, which measure student performance in a district on state standardized tests.
The analysis shows, for example, that districts with a Performance Index score of 90 or less have 83.29 percent economically disadvantaged students, while districts with a score above 105 have 14.24 percent economically disadvantaged students.
In Athens County, the pattern holds true for the most part, but may not be as extreme as others in the state. Trimble Local has the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students at 67.8 percent and a performance index score of 89.2. Athens City Schools has the lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students at 39.7 percent, but has the second highest performance index score in the county at 97.2. Alexander has the highest performance index score at 97.8.
“Ohio students who are economically disadvantaged are much more likely to have a performance score lower than their peers,” said Tom Ash, BASA director of governmental relations. “And we know that just recognizing this link does not provide a solution for those students.”
The analysis was conducted by Howard B. Fleeter, a consultant with the Education Tax Policy Institute (ETPI), on behalf of the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA), Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA).