]By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Waterford Union High School has been named one of nine public school districts across the state to receive a top ranking in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) most recent report card data.
WUHS Superintendent Keith Brandstetter learned of the recognition last month, a day before the School Board held its Sept. 17 meeting.
Brandstetter credited WUHS student attendance data and high math scores for the high state ranking.
Waterford scored 83.3 on the DPI report card – putting it in an elite class of high-achieving districts that earned a ranking of “significantly exceeds expectations.”
“This is something I think we should be proud of,” Brandstetter said. “It’s not something that happens all the time.”
WUHS is the only district in Racine County to take the top ranking this year.
Other school districts scoring from 83 to 88 on DPI’s report card all have a history of excellent student achievement. Many are within the North Shore region of Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties and in the Lake Country area of Waukesha County.
Besides WUHS, the eight districts making this year’s “significantly exceeds expectations” rank include Cedarburg, Elmbrook, Fox Point-Bayside, Hamilton, Mequon-Thiensville, North Lake, Swallow and Whitefish Bay.
After learning of the news at their meeting, several WUHS board members were understandably pleased with the results.
“You hear about all the bad stuff all the time, but this really is something good,” Kevin Malchine said.
Board member Nancy Klemko said the results are a direct reflection of WUHS’s teaching staff. “Our teachers should be proud,” Klemko said. “We are an excellent school district.”
As he discussed the report card data with board members, Brandstetter emphasized he and other administrators will not be resting on their laurels. With an increase in this year’s student population, Brandstetter said work must be done to ensure WUHS continues to work with all 1,091 students enrolled in the district.
Feeder school scores
While WUHS administrators are understandably proud of their students’ accomplishments, the DPI scores for the high school district’s feeder schools are also accomplished, with rankings that either exceed or meet expectations.
“Our district did quite well on the report card and we are proud of the hard work of our students and staff,” said Carrie Reid, principal for Drought Elementary School in Franksville.
The DPI’s grading format takes into account not only student achievement on standardized testing, but student growth, closing gaps between high-achieving and low-achieving students for reading and mathematics and on-track and post-secondary markers such as graduation rate, reading achievement and ACT participation.
Scores between zero and 52.9 fail to meet expectations, while 53 to 62.9 meet few expectations.
Scores between 63 and 72.9 meet expectations, while 73 to 82.9 exceed expectations. Scores of 83 or above significantly exceeded expectations.
• In the Waterford Graded District, all schools scored overall at a level the DPI marks as exceeding expectations: Evergreen, 82.4; Trailside, 76.1; Woodfield, 82.9; and Fox River Middle, 78.3. Both Evergreen and Woodfield narrowly missed achieving the state’s highest ranking of 83 for significantly exceeds expectations.
• Other feeder schools to also exceed expectations are Drought, 81.1; and Washington-Caldwell, in Tichigan, 77.9. Washington-Caldwell has also been named by the DPI as a 2014-15 Title I “High Achieving School.”
North Cape School, in Franksville, scored 72.1 to meet expectations, narrowly missing the 73 mark for exceeding expectations.
DPI unveiled its report card feature three years ago. Annually, the state agency assigns a score to each public school, in addition to an overall score for each school district. As a unified school district, WUHS is a singular school and district.
Editor Patricia Bogumil and staff writer Jennifer Eisenbart contributed to this article.
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What? This can’t be, after all we were told that schools would be falling apart and the sky would be falling after Act 10
Yes, lets not forget Act 10 is working to educate the students on a daily basis, as well as challenge youth to continually better themselves. Hold on a second… those are teachers doing that not legislation. These teachers deserve to be congratulated not continually backhanded, especially when they did not leave the classroom to go to Madison in protest of something they may have not agreed with. We should be looking for new victories as a community not reliving ones that took place nearly 4 years ago. Stop looking back and look forward.
Obviously, Act 10 itself is not working to educate the students…other that to provide every school district with hundreds of thousands more dollars to spend on students, rather than WEAC grossly inflated health insurance, etc. Teachers certainly deserve congratulations here, and everywhere else students are exceptionally performing. No doubt about it! The point that you missed, is that teachers and others were saying that the sky would fall if they lost the WEAC insurance and had to contribute to their health insurance and pension like the rest of the working folks…and that clearly hasn’t happened!!!! Schools and Education is better because of ACT10 both in terms of getting more money to the children’s education and giving school administrators flexibility with their employees. The good rise to the top and the bad are shown the door….all good for the kids!
I agree the sky did not fall and I would assure you, at least in the high school setting in Waterford, there was no sense that the sky is falling. As a student during that time frame we spent lots of time discussing the topic and as students we asked questions. I only emphasize congratulating teachers because of the massive amount of respect I have gained for them since I myself have been studying to become one. Education has been a hot button topic in our community as of late, and I just do not want our community to forget that these teachers have never stopped putting the work in. There is a reason both Waterford School Districts have been continuously rated some of the best in the state and it is the teachers in the classroom as well as the students.
Behind every successful student are PARENTS that are there for them. One would think a child would have a higher success rate if there’s parental involvement. All the recognition is going towards the school, teachers and administration, how sad they forget behind the scene are parents who sit at the table for hours on end assisting their children with homework, and even finish projects for their children (as if the teachers don’t know that). We are fortunate that all our children are highly employed, though one entered the trades. WUHS could assist their students with modernized equipment or classes at Gateway which isn’t readily offered! Not every child will attend college, what is WUHS doing to bridge the gap for these students? As a taxpayer I’d like to see equal funds spent on the arts as they are sports. See, the “arts” are factored into GPS’s, extracurricular activities are not. I assure you, many people on the board or/and their children play sports so the choir and band will always have fun raisers for needed equipment that the school should be paying for while the sports teams will be “given” taxpayer monies to “play ball”. A well-rounded education is necessary but so is equality of taxpayer monies!
I couldn’t agree more!