By Jason Arndt
Editor
The Burlington Area School District showed improvement in the school accountability report cards presented by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The school report cards, which were released on Nov. 19 focused on four priority areas, including achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and on-track to graduation, with districts receiving grades based on total scores.
Schools receive a grade that falls into one of five categories – 83 to 100 significantly exceeds expectations, 70 to 82.9 exceeds expectations, 58 to 69.9 meets expectations, 48 to 57.9 meets few expectations and zero to 47.9 fails to meet expectations.
School grades are then averaged to reach an overall grade for the district. Schools that do not fall into the proper grade range, new schools or those that do not meet the minimum number of students tested in grades 3-11, receive an alternate ranking.
Schools within districts are graded on achievement scores – the Wisconsin Forward exam and the ACT exam – for English language arts and mathematics, growth, target group outcomes (generally addressing lower ranked students and bringing them up to the average) and on track to graduation. Achievement and growth require two years of data, while target group outcomes include several years of information.
For BASD, the district exceeded expectations, registering a total score of 70.5 in the 2023-24 school year.
“BASD has made impressive strides, increasing its overall score by three points, from 67.5 in the 2022-2023 report card to 70.5 in the 2023-2024 school year pushing us into the exceeding category,” BASD Superintendent Jill Oelslager said in a statement.
The district demographics had 78.8% of students identify as white, 14.3% as Hispanic/Latino, 4.4% as two or more races, 1.5% as Black, 0.8% as Asian, 0.1% as American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 0.1% as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
The district had 17.6% of students with disabilities, 36% economically disadvantaged (calculated by free and reduced lunch recipients), and 4.9% as English language learners.
Oelslager highlighted Karcher Middle School, which significantly exceeded expectations, recording a score of 84.7.
Karcher, she said, ranks among the state’s best.
“This impressive result places Karcher among the top 3.7% of all 6-8 (grade) middle schools in Wisconsin based on growth – an extraordinary achievement reflecting the dedication of our staff, students and families.”
The middle school received an achievement score of 71.5, a growth score of 90.7, on-track to graduation was 90.3, and the score for target group outcomes was 85.6.
Four of five BASD elementary schools also exceeded expectations, including Cooper Montessori School (4K-6, 74.3), Dyer Elementary School (4K-5, 75.7), Waller Elementary School (4K-5, 76.2), and Lyons Center Elementary (4K-5, 70.3).
Winkler Elementary School scored 68.5, which “meets expectations” based on the recent release.
Oelslager, while acknowledging Winkler’s score, said the school still outperformed 81.3% of all K-5 schools statewide.
BHS sees mixed results
The report showed BHS did not meet expectations based on the overall score of 57.2.
Despite the low score, Oelslager said the school still ranks as one of the best related to the ACT score.
“We are pleased to report that our ACT scores from Spring 2024 has shown significant improvement,” Oelslager said. “The average ACT composite score for Burlington High School is 20.5, ranking second in the Southern Lakes Conference.”
The Southern Lakes Conference schools include Union Grove, Waterford, Badger, Westosha Central, Wilmot, Elkhorn and Beloit Memorial.
Touting progress
Oelslager commended the district’s students, staff, and families for the continued improvements.
“Across BASD, we are excited about the significant progress we have made in achievement and growth throughout the system,” she said. “This success is a direct result of the tireless work and commitment of our dedicated staff, who go above and beyond every day to support our students’ academic and personal growth.”
Oelslager said the district’s team of educators focuses on the whole child, fostering a caring and welcoming environment, and ensuring that students’ academic and social confidence continues to grow.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support and collaboration of our families – together, we are shaping the next generation of career-ready individuals who can communicate, collaborate, and make a positive impact in the world,” she said.
“We are excited for what the future holds as we continue to work together to provide a world class education for our students within the Burlington Area School District.”
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