EDITOR’S NOTE: Richland Source will publish a countywide overview of Ohio School Report Card results later this week.
MANSFIELD — When Principal Kris Beasley got the good news, he made no attempts to hide his excitement.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released its 2024-2025 school report cards Monday morning.
Beasley, the principal of Mansfield Senior High School, was thrilled with the results.
“When this became official, I came running out of my office, yelling and screaming and said, ‘We did it. We did it. We did it,” he recalled.
During the 2023-2024 school year, Mansfield Senior High earned a 2.5 out of five star rating — falling just below the threshold of meeting state standards.
Beasley said his staff made a conscious effort throughout last school year in hopes of getting back to a three-star rating.
Monday’s report card revealed that work had paid off — 3.5 stars.
“I just can’t be more grateful to my team — my teaching team, the other administrators in high school, our — because they really believed in the process, all the data and all the test preparation,” Beasley said.
District score rose from 2.5 stars
Ohio School Report Cards analyze academic performance primarily based on standardized test scores. The reports also factor in data on student attendance, graduation rates and post-graduate outcomes.
All public schools in the state are rated on a 1-to-5-star scale, with 3 being the threshold to meet state standards.
Districts also receive a rating.
Mansfield City Schools received an overall district rating of 3 stars, a step up from its 2.5 district average on the prior report card.
District officials applauded the improvement during a board meeting Tuesday night.
“We can recognize that progress, and then obviously we always have work to do,” said Stephen Rizzo, the district’s chief academic officer.
Supt. Stan Jefferson said his goal is ultimately for Mansfield City Schools to get a 5-star report card.
But he also said the district has cause to celebrate this year’s results.
Jefferson pointed to reporting from Cleveland.com, which found that five star districts were concentrated in the wealthiest parts of Ohio.
“Our circumstances are different,” he said.
“The work of our students, the work of our staff in the buildings, the work of our administration and the work of our school community to do what we have done — with all of the challenges that we have — that is an amazing, amazing feat.”
School board vice president Linda Golden encouraged staff to keep up the good work.
“We have a good school district, and people just don’t know it,” she said.
“I know the work is never-ending,” she said, addressing the administrators and teachers in the room. “You take it home, you do it on the weekends, you do it after school. I know your work sometimes gets unnoticed, but it doesn’t by the board.”
Beasley, whose career with district spans 23 years, said he’s optimistic about Mansfield City Schools’ direction.
“I feel like this is the most in-tune we’ve ever been,” he said.
“I believe in the kids of Mansfield and I think if we put our mind to it, and we create that culture of expectations — we will be right up there and compete as the premier learning destination in Richland County.”
Mansfield City Career Technical Planning District earns five star rating
Mansfield Senior High wasn’t the only district subset to see a star increase.
Career tech education (CTE) programs in Ohio get their own report cards, even if they are housed within a traditional school building like Mansfield Senior.
Mansfield City’s career tech program received 5 stars on its report card — up from a 3.5 star rating the previous school year.
The CTE report card reflects the work of 870 students in the Mansfield City School system and 113 from GOAL Digital Academy during the 2024-2025 school year.
Nikia Fletcher, the district’s director of college and career readiness, said the jump was “a long time coming.”
“This is my seventh year. We have been pushing, we have been asking the questions, we have been turning over the rocks so that we can get to this spot,” she said.
More than 79 percent of career tech students who took technical skills assessment in their field of study last school year earned a score of proficient or greater, according to the report card.
More than 63 percent earned at least 12 points of industry-recognized credentials.
“Our students leave here certified, not just with the diploma, but with the ability to say, ‘I have an expertise and a thing — hire me,’” Fletcher said.
Fletcher said the CTE program has expanded its work-based learning opportunities last year, allowing more students to get school credit for working in their field of study.
Another positive change for the district’s program was cultural.
Fletcher said career technical education is increasingly being seen as a valid and valuable pathway for students of all academic backgrounds — not just those who struggle in a traditional classroom.
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Data on the class of 2024 show about half of CTE students were enrolled in postsecondary education or training six months after graduation and more than 45 percent were employed.
“We finally got some guidance counselors who understand what it means to have a CTE pathway,” Fletcher said.
Meanwhile, Fletcher said she and special education director Amanda Terakedis are working on a plan to make sure CTE students with special needs have the support they need as the program heads into a new school year with a reduced staff.
“We know some things happened last year and we don’t have a person in that area right now,” Fletcher said, likely referring to budget cuts and a reduction in force that occurred in the spring, “But we don’t want this area to slip.”
Staff cite increased communication with families & each other
Director of School Improvement Andrea Moyer credited the district’s overall progress to a culture of collaboration and constant data analysis. She said teams of teachers and building leaders meet regularly to discuss trends.
“We are working together much better,” she said. “It’s data, data, data. It might be discipline. It might be academics. It might be attendance. They’re meeting. They’re talking about it.”
Moyer said administrators are also more active throughout the district, meeting with building principals once a week.
“Once again, we’re looking at data. What can we do to help you? What questions do you have? What are your challenges? What resources can we provide for you?” she said.
Moyer said stronger ties to the community are also having a positive impact. A call home may reveal a family is struggling with hunger or housing insecurity — issues that can impact a child’s attendance or performance in the classroom.
In cases like that, Moyer said district officials do what they can to connect families with resources and help.
“I do believe we’re getting a lot more family involvement, community engagement, and so when we do have an issue, We can reach out to our community partners and say, ‘Hey, can you help us with this?’” she said.
“We are having more positive relationships with (parents), and we’re getting them into school more often. All the schools have community activities.”
Moyer said those efforts will continue, especially at the middle school, which saw its star rating drop to two.
“We know where we need to put the majority of our support and we are on that, believe me, at the middle school,” Moyer said.
Malabar Intermediate retained its 3.5 star rating. Sherman retained its three star rating. Mansfield Spanish Immersion retained its five star rating. Springmill STEM dropped from a 3.5 to a three.