The district scored 3.5 stars overall, a half-star decrease from last year in Ohio’s 5-star scale. Three stars means a district met state standards, and 4 stars means they exceeded those standards.
Southeastern got 4 stars in gap closing, and 3 stars each in achievement and graduation. All three of those scores marked a 1-star decline from last year. Their 3 stars in progress were the same as last year, and their 3 stars in early literacy were an improvement from last year.
Although Southeastern had the highest performance index in the county, it did slightly drop from the year before, going from 80.8% to 79.6%. They also scored the highest in the gap closing measures, but slightly decreased from 5 to 4 stars and from 63.4% to 57.5%.
As for increases, the district’s early literacy percentage went from 67% to 68%, the five-year grad rate increased from 93.2% to 98.4%, and the college-career ready component went from 44.4% to 58.3%.
“The high school guidance department has been instrumental in helping our students find success with graduation. They have worked with students in both traditional and alternative pathways for graduation success,” Shea said. “In the area of (college-career ready), the district did very well with students on scoring better than proficient for the technical assessments. Dual enrollment credits, honors diplomas and industry-recognized credentials also contributed to the increase for the rating.”
The district did drop in four-year graduation rate from 96.8% to 90%, but Shea said they continue to “work diligently to get students a diploma before they leave.”
“In a smaller school district like Southeastern, just a few students not graduating can have a significant impact on the four-year graduation score. The high school and its guidance department use both the traditional and alternative pathways, as well as credit recovery options to encourage students to get their diploma,” he said.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s “high-level” data report for each school district’s report card includes 16 different metrics related to test score performance, year-over-year progress, early literacy and other factors. Southeastern’s report card this year showed improvement on six of those markers, no change on one measure, and declines on nine of them.
As for highlights, Shea said this is the third year in a row that 100% of students in third grade have been promoted to fourth grade. The district eclipsed the state average by 14% in the area of gainful employment for students who graduated in 2023. He said they were higher than the state average for students enrolling in two-year post-secondary institutions but would like to increase the number of students enrolling in four-year institutions.
“I do feel the early literacy component could be more emphasized with a higher percentage in the overall rating system. Building reading skills in younger students is extremely important for academic success,” he said.
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