Wisconsin Schools Get Mostly High Grades On DPI Report Cards

The majority of Wisconsin public schools meet or exceed expectations for student achievement, according to report cards released on Tuesday by the Department of Public Instruction.

The report cards show that 88 percent of the 2,100 individual public schools met or exceeded expectations. Moreover, 98 percent of Wisconsin’s 424 school districts had a passing score.

In a video posted to YouTube by DPI, state Superintendent Tony Evers says that he wants to caution that the report cards provide only one picture.

“It is actually measures a relatively narrow band of things about schools. It really doesn’t get at things across the state that I know that people value in their schools, such as extra-curriculars, such as music, art, physical education, such as career and technical education.”

The state report cards evaluate schools in four main areas: student achievement in reading and math on statewide assessments, student growth in those assessments, closing achievement and graduation gaps and making students prepared for college and careers.

While most Wisconsin schools were meeting expectations, 66 schools and one school district — Milwaukee Public Schools — failed to meet expectations. Melanie Stewart, director of assessment at MPS, noted that 42 of their schools exceeded expectations.

“We also have a lot of schools (where) we know that we need to do better,” she said. “We are working with all of them … so that we’re looking at improving outcomes for all children across the district.”

MPS said they have a number of efforts in place aimed at improving outcomes for students in their lowest-performing schools.