All county schools receive favorable DOE accountability grades

Thursday, November 6, 2014

The Indiana Department of Education released its annual accountability grades for all schools in the state on Wednesday, with all Putnam County schools receiving favorable grades for 2013-14.

The grades were approved by vote of the State Board of Education during its Wednesday meeting. Approval was delayed a month, having originally been slated for October.

The delay had no effect on any of the grades for Putnam County schools

Each Putnam County school received a grade somewhere between A and C, with 10 of 16 schools receiving an A, two receiving a B and four receiving a C.

Most notable among county schools in their improvement over 2013 were North Putnam Middle School and South Putnam Middle School, each of which made the jump from D to A. South Putnam Middle School was in its first year of existence in 2012-13.

Meanwhile, Cloverdale Community Schools had A ratings across the board, with the elementary, middle and high school each receiving the highest mark.

Greencastle Community Schools had an A from Greencastle High School and a B from Greencastle Middle Schools, both a step up of one grade from last year.. Each of the Greencastle elementaries -- Tzouanakis Intermediate, Ridpath Primary and Deer Meadow Primary -- received C ratings, down from an A in 2013 in each case.

Besides the A at the middle school, North Putnam also had A ratings at the high school and Roachdale Elementary, both repeats of 2013. Bainbridge Elementary also repeated its 2013 performance with a C rating.

South Putnam had two A ratings in addition to the middle school. South Putnam High School repeated its 2013 A, while Fillmore Elementary improved from a B to an A. Central Elementary repeated its 2013 B performance.

Statewide, 1,125 schools received A ratings, while there were 427 B grades, 337 C grades, 141 D ratings and 91 failing grades.

The A-F accountability grades have been the subject of much debate for educators and officials, a fact partly responsible for the delayed release.

District 6 State Board of Education member Dr. Brad Oliver said that while the A-F system isn't perfect, its intentional focus on improving achievement has resulted in more schools with A and B grades -- and fewer schools with failing grades.

"A-F is but one measure of the great things that continue to show improvement in our schools," said Oliver. "Graduation rates are up, ISTEP scores are up, NAEP scores are up and school grades provide the ability for our educators to communicate to their communities about the hard work that is happening within their buildings."

Further information, including grades for schools statewide, is available at www.doe.in.gov.

2013-14 DOE Accountability Grades
School2014 Points2014 Grade2013 Grade
South Putnam
Central Elementary3BB
Middle School3.75AD
Fillmore Elementary4AB
High School3.88AA
North Putnam
Bainbridge Elementary2CC
Roachdale Elementary4AA
Middle School4AD
High School3.88AA
Cloverdale
High School3.63AC
Elementary School4AA
Middle School3.75AC
Greencastle
High School3.6AB
Middle School3.25BC
Tzouanakis Intermediate2.5CA
Ridpath Primary2.5CA
Deer Meadow Primary2.5CA
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