A dozen schools in Iowa’s largest public school district have been identified by the state as “in need of comprehensive support and improvement” because of their low performance, according to new statewide school performance data.
The 12 Des Moines schools are among 35 statewide that landed in the bottom 5% of Iowa’s Title I public schools, or schools with graduation rates lower than 66%, according to an Iowa Department of Education news release. It’s five more schools than the district previously had among the lowest performers.
The data is part of the newly released Iowa School Performance Profiles that identify schools that need “additional support and improvement based on their performance” during the 2023-24 school year. The yearly assessments are a requirement under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
The Des Moines schools on the low-performing list are:
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Brubaker Elementary School
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Studebaker Elementary School
Carver, Monroe and Edmunds elementary schools in DMPS were removed from the list this year because of their improved performance, according to state data.
Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts said the state’s results weren’t surprising.
“As a matter of fact, it’s encouraging because (the state’s data) echoes exactly what we have seen,” he said. “I know we’re going to have this sort of relentless focus on very specific and targeted areas where we can get better and where we need to improve.”
The performance ratings were part of “Iowa’s new accountability system” based on factors such as schools’ “proficiency results in English language arts, mathematics and science, student academic growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates and postsecondary readiness,” according to a Department of Education release.
Schools listed among the bottom 5% are eligible for assistance from the Iowa Department of Education, including 6,000 hours of on-site support, help with analyzing data and with creating an action plan, providing instructional materials and supporting school leadership teams, department officials said during a press call Tuesday afternoon.
From 2022: Hundreds of Iowa schools qualify for federal funds to boost student achievement
Roberts said DMPS officials already have looked at everything from academic outcomes to school leadership to chronic absenteeism to help low-performing schools improve. The district also hired a new director of middle schools to help bolster those schools.
No other schools in the Des Moines metro made the state’s lowest-performing list.
Superintendent see bright spots for DMPS
In addition, 22 of Des Moines’ 63 schools were identified as in need of targeted support and improvement because of achievement gaps within student groups such as English learners, students with disabilities, those who are low income, or among racial groups, according to state data.
“It takes a village” to achieve the improvements the state requires and ensure continued improvement across the district, Roberts said.
Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts talks to Hoover High School students during their first day back in class on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines.
He said those improvements should be celebrated.
Related: Des Moines Public Schools is ‘reimagining education.’ What that could mean for families
“Case in point, we have 15 of our schools this year that will go into the new school year having been removed from both comprehensive and targeted designations,” he said, “and that’s in large part due to two things: the work that is happening in terms of teachers, principals and staff in buildings. But secondly, we don’t want to undervalue how important it is where we have received a lot of support from our Department of Education.”
How schools performed across Iowa
Statewide, 16 schools designated among the lowest-performing last year were removed this school year.
Related: The majority of public schools in Des Moines see gains in reading and math proficiency
Another 377 Iowa schools were identified by the state as being in need of targeted support and improvement.
More than 93% or 351 of those schools were identified as such because “students with disabilities at their school performed below the level of the lowest (5%) of all schools,” the release states.
“Of those schools, 110 were also identified for other student groups in addition to students with disabilities, including 78 schools identified because of the achievement gaps experienced by students who are English language learners.”
One difference from previous years is “fewer schools were identified in need of targeted support and improvement based on achievement gaps experienced by students from low-income backgrounds and students who are Black/African American, Hispanic, or multi-racial,” the release said.
Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Public Schools has 12 schools among 35 rated lowest in Iowa
