The Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Board of Education reviewed with administration state data and the rating the district received during this year’s school performance report from the Iowa Department of Education during Monday night’s work session. Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau says the district is given points for meeting specific requirements that have been set by the state.
Based on how many points are earned out of the total possible is what places district into categories that rank from priority/comprehensive to exceptional. Each building in the district received at least 60 percent of the total possible points, which would designate them in the commendable category. Berlau says due to Adams Elementary, the Middle School and the High School getting a targeted status, which reflects on a small section of the 14.8 percent of students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), those buildings category ratings were dropped to acceptable.
Berlau says factors that may have contributed to the test scores include the curriculum that is used by the district, as new curriculum for special education and reading has just been implemented. Board member Jim Friel asked about the achievement gap for students with disabilities ranking 30.14 percentage points below the state average. Middle School Principal Dean Lansman says that measures growth and not specifically how well students scored on the tests
Berlau says the next steps include meeting with staff from the Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEA) and the Iowa Department of Education to discuss the data and implementation of intervention.
Friel inquired and presented the board with performance ratings since 2018, noting the changes in staff retention, enrollment, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. He compared CCSD to other districts in the Rolling Valley Conference, which board members argued that they don’t want to compare the test scores of students in other districts as Member Jill Johnston says this doesn’t show the whole picture.
Johnston also mentions that the state data does not show the background of the student, if basic needs are met, behaviors, etc., that could have altered the test results. Board member Stacy McCaulley says the team should more utilize this as a tool to help them decide where to go from here.
CCSD will remain on the targeted designation until next year when test scores from the 2025-26 school year will determine the ISPP ranking in the fall of 2026.
