“It is a team effort in the building and it is a team effort across the district, said Madison Comprehensive High School Principal Rob Peterson.
Peterson noted that the graduation rate in 2012 was at 93 percent. “That is the highest that it has been. I have records going back to 2006 and 2007 and the highest it had been in those years it was at 90.7 percent,” said Peterson.
This is Peterson’s sixth year serving as Madison Comprehensive High School principal. Before he became principal, he was the assistant principal for nine years. He has spent his entire career with the Madison School District.
Peterson shared how the high school students have improved in testing scores. “In testing we get scored on our report cards with the tenth graders and they get rated in each of the five categories including reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. Our eleventh graders also get tested in those same categories. We are graded in those ten categories, the attendance rate, and the graduation rate and we met the standard in all twelve areas. That is the first time that we have done that,” said Peterson.
The attendance rate at the high school has been extremely consistent for the past four years. Peterson explained that the attendance rate has either been at 93.6 or 93.7 percent. This past year, it was at 93.7 percent.
As for academic success, Madison high school athletes are not only performing on the field, but also in the classroom. Peterson explained that 60 percent of the fall athletes were scholar athletes. In order to become a scholar athlete, the student must have at least a 3.0 GPA for the nine weeks.
“That is a really good number and our athletes are typically some of our best students,” said Peterson.
Last year, Madison students were awarded about $1 million in scholarships. “We have scholarships within the school and local scholarships. The students also receive scholarships from the school in which they will be attending. Our athletic boosters give ten $1,000 scholarships to seniors every year. Our athletic boosters are absolutely huge for our district,” said Peterson.
Peterson praised teachers in the high school. “Our teachers are the major factor in improving test scores. They work very hard at making sure the standards are taught and they also work hard at building relationships with the kids. This is a huge factor in getting the kids engaged. I think they work very hard together as a team and they work hard at understanding what our student’s weaknesses are, that way they can spend extra time developing those skills,” said Peterson.
He also gave credit to Curriculum Director Lynn Meister for her work with the teachers. “Lynn Meister works very hard with our teachers to make sure that they are teaching the right things at the right time,” said Peterson.
Peterson credited Madison’s accomplishments to students across the district.
“I think this will continue to grow and this has not just been a high school success. It has been a Pre K-12 success and everyone needs to be credited. By the time the students get to the high school, a lot of people have had to work with them and the credit is deserved across the board,” said Peterson.
“Our teachers are the major factor in improving test scores. They work very hard at making sure the standards are taught and they also work hard at building relationships with the kids,” stated Principal Rob Peterson.
