BELLVILLE – Two Richland County schools have received the “2016 Momentum Award” from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).
Bellville Elementary School and Clear Fork Middle School recently learned they are among the 169 Ohio schools to receive this honor from the ODE.
Across the state, local schools and school districts receive a “grade card” measuring academic performance. This evaluation focuses on six areas of achievement based on the standardized testing performance of students.
One of those six areas is the “progress component” that measures student progress from year to year. Schools that exceed expectations of student growth in a year and receive an “A” on this “value added” component of the grade card are presented a “Momentum Award.”
“We are pleased to receive this honor from the Ohio BOE,” said Clear Fork Superintendent Janice Wyckoff, adding that she is happy for the recognition of students and staff. “Clear Fork Valley represents the best that American rural/small town education has to offer.”
She credits “community involvement and support” in addition to the efforts of students, staff and parents for the success they have experienced.
Steve Bloir, Bellville Elementary principal said the award reflects well on the hard-working staff that have the best interests of students in mind at all times. He believes the academic growth represented by the “Momentum Award” is due to careful planning and careful use of testing data to provide the best instruction for their students.
Clear Fork Middle School principal Jennifer Klaus said students and teachers are proud of their scholastic improvements from year to year on standardized testing. The award, she said, represents that pride.
Klaus credits the collaborative network of parents, teachers and students for the growth experienced by students at her school.
Administrators say the “Momentum Award” is all about academic improvement. While “achievement” measures student’s performance on a single test, “growth” recognizes student improvement based on “past performance.”
“Our focus is on the academic progress, a year’s growth in a year’s time for every student, which is reflected in the value-added measure of the state testing system,” Wyckoff said. “The value-added measure is the only aspect of state tests that is truly appropriate.”
There are four categories of students included in the “progress component.” The categories include “all students, gifted students, students at the lowest 20 percent in achievement, and students with disabilities.
