State gives local school low rating

HARTINGTON — Hartington-Newcastle Public Schools did not fare well in the state’s new rating system.

The school was one of just 28 districts in the state to receive a “needs improvement” rating.

While HNS Supt. A.J. Johnson acknowledged some of the testing results do indeed need improvement, he also noted the new state rating system itself also needs improvement.

“The formula used to establish the ratings is based heavily on trend lines using past testing history. If a school did well in the past, but did not do as well in the latest testing period, then that school is docked,” Johnson said. “The formula is based on a trend line — are your scores going up or going down — but they are only using two years of data to establish that trend. That can’t be accurate.”

The new ratings system — Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow — measures schools on test scores as well as six additional tenets: positive partnerships, relationships and successes; transitions; educational opportunities and access; college, career and civic ready; assessment; and educator effectiveness.

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