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The Clinton Daily News

:HGQHVGD\1RYHPEHU_9RO1R See you on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ClintonDailyNews 8636_FOLQWRQGDLO\QHZVFRP

State releases schools’ report cards

BY DEBORAH AVERY
WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL NANCE SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL “We still stand by there’s not a

C C D D
Clinton Daily News lot of data in them if you look to

The Oklahoma State Board of No measure how we’re doing as a

district. Therefore we’ve had to
Education (OSDE) has released
the annual accountability Grade use our own benchmarks to get
the data we need to improve.”

D D
report cards for Oklahoma In order to illustrate his
school districts and Clinton’s
grades aren’t where they
should be, admitted Super-
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assertion, one example Hime
pointed to was the score re-
ceived by Epic Charter High
$FDGHPLF $FDGHPLF
intendent of Schools Kevin DFDGHPLFWHVWLQJ $FKLHYHPHQW $FKLHYHPHQW School. The virtual school re-
$FKLHYHPHQW $FKLHYHPHQW

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Hime. But what the reports ceived an overall grade of “C,”

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don’t show are the areas where even though its graduation
improvements have been made, VRQRRYHUDOO rate was “F” with zero gradua-
he said. JUDGHLVJLYHQ tions reported.
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“In what little data they gave “How can you give a school

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Growth Growth Growth

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us, overall we felt it showed im- with a zero graduation rate
provement,” Hime said. “The
only area where we didn’t see
any improvement was chronic
D D B English
English
a ‘C’ overall?” asked Hime.
“What does that tell you? You

absenteeism. Absenteeism is
English English English Language See STATE, page 3
killing us across the district.” Language Language Language Language 3URÀFLHQF\
OSDE defines chronic ab- 3URÀFLHQF\ 3URÀFLHQF\ 3URÀFLHQF\ 3URÀFLHQF\ 3URJUHHVV
OTHER AREA
F
senteeism as students who 3URJUHHVV 3URJUHHVV 3URJUHHVV 3URJUHHVV

C C F C
miss 10 percent or more of the
school year regardless of the SCHOOLS’ GRADES
reason. Regular attendance &KURQLF
is predictive of student and &KURQLF &KURQLF &KURQLF &KURQLF Absenteeism

school success, state officials
say, and chronic absenteeism
puts students at academic risk.
It doesn’t matter whether the
cause for the absence is illness,
school sports or family vaca-
tions, it all counts toward a
student’s absentee rate.
Hime thought that the flu
epidemic last year hit Nance
in particular, bringing down
Absenteeism Absenteeism
their score in that area. He also
surmised that the way Clinton
tracks absenteeism may be a
contributing factor.
“We’re a stickler for the way
we count attendance, because
we want to know if kids are
there or not,” he said. “You
Absenteeism Absenteeism
hear rumors that some (dis-
tricts) are finding ways to
document it that help their
score, but we don’t want it to
look better unless we’ve truly
made it better.”
As he has pointed out in the
past, Hime reiterated that
B
3RVWVHFRQGDU\
Opportunities
the school grades released by
the state aren’t necessarily
an accurate indicator of how
schools are doing.
Arapaho-Butler: B, B
Burns Flat-Dill City: D, C
Cordell: C,B,C
Elk City: C,D, D
Thomas-Fay-Custer: B,C,A
Weatherford: C,C,B

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
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The Clinton Daily News
STATE: Grades still have challenges
FROM PAGE 1
can talk about all the
things they do, but
graduation rate is really
important.
“Their academic
achievement is a D and
their graduation rate
is an F, but in chronic
absenteeism they got an
‘A’ — because you can
never be absent from
online school.”
But, Hime insisted, he
doesn’t want absentee-
ism to be an excuse for
Clinton schools not do-
ing better.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
“We have high expec- dent of Public Instruc-
tations for our kids and tion Joy Hofmeister.
we don’t want chronic “The good news is we
absenteeism to be an are on the right track.
excuse as to why (we got Individual students
these grades). are making progress,
“The fact that you’ve although too many are
got 150 kids in band, not yet college or career
great art classes, a great ready. In any system
ag program and a great built on continuous im-
music program, none provement, however, in-
of that counts on your dividual student growth
report card. But kids is the first sign of suc-
can’t learn if they’re not cess moving forward.
in school.” These gains indicate we
“We still have chal- are laying the founda-
lenges and are not yet tion for future gains at
where we want to be,” the school, district and
said State Superinten- state level.”
 Choctaw Times

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 Choctaw Times

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Choctaw Times

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 The Davis News

Nov
Sen. Sharp files bills
to increase charter
27

2019

school accountability
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Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shaw- ditional oversight of charters.

nee, filed two bills Nov.22, It requires a sponsor to review
to continue his efforts to at least annually a school’s
improve administrative and State Aid allocations, com-
financial accountability of pliance with the school hours/
Oklahoma’s virtual and brick- days requirements, student
and-mortar charter schools. testing performance, itemized
“As legislators, it’s our job expenditures with a manage-
to ensure Oklahomans’ tax ment organization, the cost
dollars are spent efficiently,” of administrative services,
Sharp said. “We must de- the teacher salary schedule,
mand the same accountabil- the certification status of
ity of our state public charter teachers and whether teachers
schools as we do from any are employed by the charter
other state agency. These school or a management or-
changes will help ensure ganization.
our virtual and brick-and- SB 1100 would require the
mortar charter schools are Oklahoma Statewide Virtual
utilizing state funds legally Charter School Board to
and providing a high-quality provide the same additional
education for Oklahoma’s oversight of virtual charter
youth that’s resulting in high schools.
performance.” Both bills can be consid-
SB 1099 would require ered in February when the
sponsors of brick-and-mortar 2020 legislative session be-
charter schools to provide ad- gins.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
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Guymon Daily Herald
Sharp files bills to increase accountability of state’s charter schools
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Ron Sharp,
R-Shawnee, filed two bills Friday to con-
tinue his efforts to improve administrative
and financial accountability of Oklahoma’s
virtual and brick-and-mortar charter
schools.
“As legislators, it’s our job to ensure
Oklahomans’ tax dollars are spent effi-
ciently,” Sharp said. “We must demand
the same accountability of our state public
charter schools as we do from any other
state agency. These changes will help
ensure our virtual and brick-and-mortar
charter schools are utilizing state funds
legally and providing a high-quality educa-
tion for Oklahoma’s youth that’s resulting
in high performance.”
SB 1099 would require sponsors of brick-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
and-mortar charter schools to provide
additional oversight of charters. It requires
a sponsor to review at least annually a
school’s State Aid allocations, compliance
with the school hours/days requirements,
student testing performance, itemized
expenditures with a management organi-
zation, the cost of administrative services,
the teacher salary schedule, the certifica-
tion status of teachers and whether teach-
ers are employed by the charter school or a
management organization.
SB 1100 would require the Oklahoma
Statewide Virtual Charter School Board
to provide the same additional oversight of
virtual charter schools.
Both bills can be considered in February
when the 2020 legislative session begins.
 Henryetta Free-Lance
Nov
f
y
EPIC starts first statewide
27
2019
journalism program for
Page
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high school students
Clip OKLAHOMA CITY –
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56% EPIC Charter Schools,
the state’s largest virtu-
g al charter school,
g announced its develop-
ment of EPIC News
Network (ENN), the
state’s first and only
statewide journalism
d program for high
school students.
r Through ENN, EPIC
students statewide are
reporting and photo-
a graphing events in
their communities and
covering the actions of
state leaders and events
that shape the cultural
and political landscape
t of Oklahoma.
r ENN teaches students
the principles of news-
gathering, reporting,
writing, editing, photo-
k journalism, audio-
r visual production and
ethics.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
Students’ work is
delivered via epicnews-
network.org and ENN
social media channels.
Aw ard - w i n n i ng
Oklahoma journalists
M. Scott Carter and
Phil Cross, ENN’s co-
directors, lead the day-
to-day classroom work.
With dozens of jour-
nalism awards between
them, the two long-
time reporters bring
decades of experience
to the table.
In addition, Carter
was most recently a
journalism professor at
Oklahoma City
Community College
and the faculty advisor
to its award-winning
student newspaper.
Cross came to ENN
from KOKH FOX 25 in
Oklahoma City and
won an Emmy in 2017
for his government
reporting work. Both
men are members of
the Journalism
Education Association
and the Oklahoma
Scholastic Media.
“I like the challenge
of teaching students
just how important
good storytelling is
and how to leverage
new technologies to
share those stories with
their audience,” Carter
said.
Cross added that he
is thrilled at the oppor-
tunity to teach the next
generation of journal-
ists.
“I couldn’t have asked
for a better teaching
partner than Scott
Carter,” Cross said.
“Together, we have an
opportunity to show
our students what jour-
nalism is all about.”
EPIC Superintendent
Bart Banfield touted
the two men’s efforts,
stating ENN has two
leaders who bring an
unsurpassed level of
real-world experience
to their students.
“These two excep-
tional journalists have
dedicated their profes-
sional lives to provid-
ing Oklahoma with the
finest in news gather-
ing and reporting,”
Epic Superintendent
Bart Banfield said.
“That level of profes-
sionalism and knowl-
edge is invaluable to
students in a unique
classroom setting such
as this.”
 Countywide& Sun

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Nov
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Sharp Files Two Bills n

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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.