New School Report Card and STAR Rating System Released for All D.C. Public Schools

Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin. Ed. Note: I really love this photo.

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the new DC School Report Card, which will provide students, families, and educators with comprehensive information about the performance of public schools in the District, including each school’s rating on the new School Transparency and Reporting (STAR) Framework.

“We have incredible things happening in public schools across all eight wards of the city, but we also know that we have more work to do to ensure that every child who goes through our schools is getting the social, emotional, and academic supports that they need to succeed. The DC School Report Card is going to help us do just that,” said Mayor Bowser. “As we roll out these new report cards, our plan is to engage with schools and families across the District, to support schools in developing improvement plans, and to use this information to inform our policies and investments.”

The new report cards and STAR ratings will be housed on DCSchoolReportCard.org and will feature more than 150 data points, including data and information about academic programs, extracurricular activities, parent organizations, and more.

Families can access DCSchoolReportCard.org in both English and Spanish, and translated guides are available in Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, and Vietnamese.

“I am proud to say this report card was built in partnership with DC families. OSSE worked with thousands of parents, families, and community members to create a tool that presented material in a clear, consistent, and meaningful way,” said State Superintendent Hanseul Kang. “The report cards will not only allow us to better support our schools but they will also allow us to celebrate them.”

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), DC’s state education agency, led the development of the DC School Report Card as part of federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). OSSE worked with school leaders, families, advocates, content experts, and members of the community to design a DC School Report Card that meets the new federal requirements and also provides families with transparent, accessible information about DC’s public schools.

“DC families need access to easy, clear, and meaningful information about schools in order to make the best decisions for their children,” said Karen Williams, State Board of Education President and Ward 7 Representative. “I am grateful that OSSE worked hard in partnership with the State Board of Education to bring parents and families together to help create it. It’s the right direction for our schools and families.”

In addition to informing families, the report cards will also help shape policy by giving District leaders and educators a common set of facts to compare and evaluate schools. Schools identified in the bottom five percent of the STAR Framework will be able to receive more than $1 million over three years to target core school improvements.

“Providing information to families and educators is an integral part of the path to ensuring student success,” said Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, President and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign. “Clear, transparent education data shines a light on how parents and teachers can help students succeed academically. And both parents and educators have shown that they not only want – but need – access to it as a tool to inform decision making.”

The Mayor launched the DC Report Card at Tubman Elementary School in Ward 1 and was joined by Acting Deputy Mayor on Education Paul Kihn, State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang, Interim Chancellor of DCPS Amanda Alexander, DC Public Charter School Board Executive Director Scott Pearson, and Tubman ES Principal Amanda Delabar.

Families can learn more about the DC School Report Card and meet representatives from more than 200 public schools at EdFEST on Saturday, December 8. Learn more about EdFEST at myschooldc.org.”