YCSD Families,
Welcome back! We hope you had a great summer and spent time relaxing and enjoying family and friends.
We're ready for a 2018-19 school year that builds upon the success of last year to deliver even more progress in achieving the five goals in the strategic plan: academic achievement; supporting the whole child; improving parent, family and community engagement; attracting and retaining a world class workforce; and improved operations, budgeting and accountability.
One area upon which we will focus more this school year is culture and climate. It's such a critical component of student success.
Through community partnerships with organizations and agencies like the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and the YMCA, YCSD provides many wrap-around services to help our students and our families. Those include eye exams and glasses for students who need them, food pantries in schools and swimming lessons for second graders. We will expand those programs and hope to add more this school year.
We opened the 2018-19 school year with a new home and a new name for Youngstown Early College. The school, formerly housed in Fedor Hall at Youngstown State University, moved opened the year in the former Ward-Rayen Administration Building at 20 W. Wood St.
Since part of the building
This past year saw reading scores on the NWEA test jump 18.23 percent between the fall 2017 and winter 2018. NWEA math scores increased 14.94 percent between fall and winter. That's impressive growth and we're celebrating it.
We also saw overall attendance improved to 91 percent this school year, compared to 90 percent in 2016-17.
We also saw a decline in our tardy rate. Those improvements stem from attendance teams we established in every building. Team members meet weekly and create interventions for students nearing truancy or excessive absence thresholds.Our suspension rate also declined while the average grade point average increased.
At Youngstown Early College, 91 percent of this year's graduates earned an associate's degree. That's an increase from 64 percent for the Class of 2017. And YEC earned a Bronze Medal designation on U.S. News' annual Best High Schools list. The ranking is based on students' test performance and how well students are prepared for college.
But a school system that develops well-rounded young men and women who are prepared for all facets of college or career isn't just about test scores or even solely what happens in the classroom. We beefed up our athletics department and offerings this year after years of neglect.
That effort has expanded to include elementary school students as well as high school. It's drawn more students who want to participate in these programs.
In its first year, the East High Golden Bear Rugby team brought home a state championship.
We still have a long way to go to move YCSD to where we all want it to be, but we're getting there. Those accomplishments are something of which our students, families, teachers, administrators and the community should be very proud.
Thanks,
CEO Krish Mohip