JUDA — Following the state trend of public schools, the majority of area districts increased state report card numbers, with all meeting or exceeding expectations, while the School District of Juda surged by nearly 20 points to move up a category.

In the 2016-17 report cards released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Juda schools were ranked as “Meets Expectations” with a score of 66.3. The previous year, the district had been relegated to “Meets Few Expectations.” Now, it is designated as a district which “Exceeds Expectations” with a score of 82.6. 

The measurement is based on a star system, with five stars being the highest category. None of the local districts met “Significantly Exceeds Expectations,” though Juda just missed the required score of 83. Likewise, none of the districts dipped below meeting expectations to “Fails to Meet Expectations” or “Meets Few Expectations,” which was the score assigned to the School District of Albany last year. The district score increased to 65.1 this year.

According to a press release from DPI Communications Coordinator Tom McCarthy, nearly 97 percent of the 422 in-state public school districts either met or exceeded expectations.

As part of the state accountability system, schools receive reports on how they meet four main goals. The data focuses on four priority areas: performance in mathematics and reading through state testing, student improvement of reading and math, the closure of gaps between student groups and student preparedness after secondary school and maintaining readiness for students looking to graduate and pursue post-secondary careers or education.

The districts are measured with an Overall Accountability Score from 0 to 100 in the ratings system. 

State report cards have been a changing measurement over the last few years. The 2014-15 reports were never created due to a shift by legislators and changes to a number of requirements, leaving no method of comparison to the newest scores and older results, though the five-category reporting system has been a fixture since the 2011-12 report cards. 

Monroe school district, while maintaining its 2016-17 category, dropped by five points within the “Exceeds Expectations” designation. Despite this, Terri Montgomery, director of curriculum & instruction, said the district celebrated the designation while aiming for better.

“This is a positive report for the School District of Monroe, but our goal is to continue to strive for the Significantly Exceeds Expectations for our District,” Montgomery wrote in the release. “The School District of Monroe is diligently working to make sure that all students perform at a level that will allow them to graduate and be successful in college or a career. We realize that we need to continue to move forward with our endeavors to enhance professional development for our teachers so our students can have a positive school experience that develops their talents to their highest potential.”

Argyle and Brodhead school districts saw a bump in their scores. Darlington Community and Pecatonica Area School Districts increased just enough to move from “Meets Expectations” to “Exceeds Expectations.”

Monticello and New Glarus districts, at 74.3 and 75.2 respectively, slipped just slightly, but not enough to change category designations from “Exceeds Expectations.” Black Hawk dropped to the low end of “Meets Expectations” from 69 points to 64.9 this year.