Fremont school earns high marks

Fremont Elementary School is one of 68 public schools in the state to receive an accountability index rating of significantly exceeds expectations.

The school's overall accountability score and rating was 85.6.

"We are pleased with the elementary outcome for the report card, and we will work to continue improving. Everybody keeps working hard and pulling together and keeps helping the students learn," said Kirk Delwiche, who is the principal at both Fremont and Weyauwega elementary schools in the W-F district.

The preliminary 2011-12 school reports cards for 2,118 public schools were made public by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on Oct. 22.

The school report cards provide an accountability score on a scale of zero to 100.

Those score ranges place schools in one of five categories: significantly exceeds expectations (83-100), exceeds expectations (73-82.9), meets expectations (63-72.9), meets few expectations (53-62.9) and fails to meet expectations (0-52.9).

Priority area scores are weighted in a formula that also takes into account test participation, absenteeism and dropout rates.

The four priority areas are:

• Student achievement in reading and math on statewide assessments using college and career-ready proficiency levels;

• Student growth in reading and math, measured by year-to-year improvements in achievement;

• Closing gaps for reading and math achievement and graduation, based on the performance of specific student groups (English-language learners, low-income students, students with disabilities, students from racial or ethnic groups and their peers);

• On-track and postsecondary readiness, which uses graduation or attendance rates, third-grade reading achievement, eighth-grade mathematics achievement and ACT participation and performance as predictors of college and career readiness.

The four priority area scores are combined to determine the accountability rating.

The other scores in the W-F district are 78.3 (exceeds expectations) for Weyauwega Elementary, 68.2 (meets expectations) for W-F Middle School and 73 (exceeds expectations) for W-F High School.

"This is our initial result. As a district, we will learn strategies to strengthen our curriculum and our support. Our ultimate goal is to continue to improve academically," said District Administrator Scott Bleck.

Statewide, 637 schools exceed expectations, 906 meet expectations, 190 meet few expectations and 76 schools fail to meet expectations.

Kandi Martin, the district's director of pupil services and curriculum, is pleased with the scores.

"Our focus will be working with the ESL (English as a second language) population and special education groups," she said.

There are 43 ESL students in the district.

Martin said that provides extra challenges when the students are taking tests.

Those students also add a richness to the district's schools, she said.

Bleck is proud of the scores for both of the district's elementary schools, saying those numbers reflect the effort of the students, staff and school community.

Matt Wilbert, principal of the middle and high schools, believes the scores reflect some of the district's more recent initiatives, including Response to Intervention and Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports.

Bleck said the district's administrative team will evaluate its areas of strengths and weaknesses, which will then carry over to staff meetings and professional development.

"We shared the intitial score release with all district staff," he said.

Each year, there are building level retreats, which are based on data, and Martin said they will use this information to improve instruction in the classroom.

Bleck said they will also identify scores which received higher scores and look at what those schools are doing.

"We see as a potential tool to gather insight that will enhance," he said.

In the last year, both Delwiche and Wilbert have received calls from administrators in other districts who wanted to tour W-F schools to see what staff are doing here.