Four schools in the Marshalltown Community School District have been categorized as in need of improvement, according to the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) Iowa School Performance Profiles.

Shortly after the DOE released the reports of all schools in the state on Oct. 26, the T-R sent questions to MCSD officials regarding specific aspects. While the T-R questions went unanswered, the district issued a press release as a response to the report on Monday.

The DOE report issues overall performance scores, from 1 to 100, which are reflections of school performance. The average score earned by Iowa schools is 54.81.

The performance scores of Miller Middle and Franklin Elementary are considered “Needs improvement,” which means the school received a score between 44.17 to 49.2. Franklin earned a 49.11, and Miller received 44.94.

The Marshalltown Virtual Academy and Rogers Elementary are listed as “Priority,” which means they received scores of 44.16 or less. The virtual academy received a 31.05, and Rogers earned a 38.2.

The press release stated the school district recognizes the areas of improvement which need to be addressed and is using strategic goals to improve student achievement. Every elementary school is receiving instruction about the literacy curriculum, Core Knowledge Language Arts.

Students in all buildings can also get tutoring during the Saturday school program.

There are also four schools which are listed as “Targeted” by the report — Miller Middle, Lenihan, MHS and the virtual academy. The Targeted designation means a student subgroup — minorities, recipients of free and reduced lunch, special education or students who have English as their second language — scored low academically.

The press release stated schools are designated as Targeted for three years to allow district personnel time to formulate a plan to achieve academic improvement. Only 134 additional Iowa schools are considered Targeted.

Superintendent Theron Schutte said he is confident the partnership with the DOE Division of Teaching and Learning and the Central Rivers Area Education Agency will continue to produce progress in the schools with lower scores.

Anson Elementary (53.92), Lenihan Intermediate School (49.53) and Marshalltown High School (49.91) are considered “Acceptable,” which means they earned performance scores between 49.21 and 54.9. The press release stated Anson made a 10-point improvement from last year, and MHS earned seven additional points, moving from Priority to Acceptable.

Fisher (56.92), Hoglan (57.31) and Woodbury (57.66) elementary schools are considered “Commendable,” which means their scores were between 54.91 and 60.6.

The press release also stated when the 2019 to 2021 DOE reports are compared, the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into account.

The DOE reports date back to 2018. The 2022 report shows four schools were designated as Priority — Anson, MHS, the virtual academy and Rogers. Miller was listed as Needs Improvement.

The 2021 report indicates that no MCSD schools were considered Priority, and four were Needs Improvement — Anson, Miller, Lenihan and Rogers. The virtual academy is not included in the 2021 report nor any previous reports.

In 2020 and 2019, Fisher was a “High Performing” school, which means they received a score between 60.61 to 66.3. Two were considered Needs Improvement — Anson and Miller; and one was a Priority — Rogers.

In 2018, two schools were listed as Priority — Anson and Rogers; and one — Fisher — was listed as Needs Improvement.

“Our evidence-based practices, dedicated educators and high quality materials are making a difference in our classrooms,” MCSD Director of Instruction Shauna Smith said in the release. “We firmly believe our future is bright at MCSD. We will always be committed to school improvements. The advanced programming we offer and partnerships in our community continue to ensure we offer a top-notch educational experience for all.”

Schutte said everyone involved, such as students, staff and parents, are working to give students the skills necessary to succeed in post-secondary life after high school.

The majority of the postsecondary scores for the district were below the state average (see accompanying table). One exceeded — the ACT or SAT success score which provides the percentage of students who earned a 22 on the ACT and at least 1,110 on the SATs. The score for the district was 50.98, and the state average is 46.06. However, only 15.84 percent of the eligible MCSD students took the ACT or SATs, as opposed to the state average of 47.4.

“We’ve made positive progress, but this will continue to be a marathon versus a sprint,” Schutte said.

MCSD PERFORMANCE

Category MCSD Score State Average

Mathematics Assessment 97.99 98.91

English Assessment 98.34 99.05

Average English Achievement 46.26 50

Average Math Achievement 46.55 50

Conditions for Learning

Composite 46.1 49.4

Four-year Graduation Rate 81.18 89.86

Five-year Graduation Rate 85.67 92.51

Student Growth in English 47 50

Student Growth in Math 43 50

Students Proficient in Math 54.97 69.5

Students Proficient in English 56.55 71.4

Students Ready for

College Courses 59.63 75.82

Percent of Students Taking

ACT/SAT 15.84 47.4

Students Ready for CTE Courses 36.65 67.49

Students Successful

in the ACT/SAT 50.98 46.06

Post-secondary Readiness 37.79 50

Progress Toward English

Proficiency 51.07 55.29

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.