Buckeye Valley Local Schools was recently given five stars on the Ohio Department of Education’s State Report Cards, a first for the district and an improvement over last year’s 4.5-star rating.

The state report card rating is comprised of five rated components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation and Early Literacy.

Buckeye Valley earned four stars in Achievement, which measures student performance on state tests; five stars on Progress, which measures student growth year-to-year; five stars on Gap Closing, which measures the reduction of educational gaps for student groups; four stars for Graduation, which measures graduation rate; and four stars on Early Literacy, which measures reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.

Buckeye Valley Superintendent Ric Stranges said he was proud when he heard the rating but acknowledged that the data for the rating came from the 2022-2023 school year when Paul Craft was superintendent, so he refused to take credit for the rating.

“It sure is good to be at a place where the academics are at such a high level,” Stranges said. “When you think about 606 school districts. We’re one of 68 (to earn five stars). … It really does speak well of not only our students and staff, but our community support as well. It’s quite an accomplishment.”

Stranges said he knew the areas of Gap Closing and Progress had been points of emphasis for Craft and staff in previous years, and the five-star rating in those areas is evidence of their work.

“They were both areas of focus in this district,” Stranges said. “I’ve got to thank Paul Craft. I know he set the stage for this type of achievement to happen. He honed in on different student groups to make sure that not just most students but every student had the opportunity to achieve.”

Stranges said it’s now his responsibility to keep up the district’s momentum.

“Getting five stars is great, but it has to be sustainable because the state makes it more difficult every year,” Stranges said. “It ramps up the difficulty to maintain that. I know as we build for the future, we’re looking at (all the components) to make sure we’re achieving milestones for our staff community and kids.”

The district’s four stars in Achievement denotes “exceeds state standards,” and Stranges said “to know our students are well prepared and achieving at the highest level is a good feeling for us, too.”

Stranges said the district aims to improve test scores, even as the metrics for success change.

“It’s difficult,” he said. “The goal is how do we keep getting better even though the target moves further and further from us? I think in this district, there’s a real effort to improve, to get better. They know the target is there, and they put things in place to make sure the students achieve. It’s very intentional. The learning is intentional. We know what we need to do to help our students achieve and the staff does it. I am really proud of our students and staff.”

The district also exceeds state standards for Early Literacy with its four-star rating, and Stranges credits that success entirely to elementary staff.

“When you look at pre-K through third grade, the improvement we’ve made is because of the collective efforts of those teachers,” Stranges said. “They are sharing best practices and using data, and the results are amazing. Without that foundation, you’re not going to achieve when you get to middle and high school.”

The state report card lists the district’s graduation rate as 95.9%, and Stranges said that last school year, the class had a 100% graduation rate, so he expects that rating to improve in future report cards.

Overall, Stranges said he’s proud of the district’s performance on the report card.

“We use this as a springboard about what do we need to work on and emphasize,” Stranges said, “It’s a comprehensive look at our district, and it does give us a chance to pause, reflect and celebrate. … It’s a source of pride. I know when I go out to games, families are proud to be part of a five-star district, and they created that.”

The state report card also includes an unscored component for College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness, and Stranges said the district is already working to prepare for when that metric will be scored.

“We’re already jumping in to make sure we’re ready to provide that for our students,” he said. “Our community is begging for workers ready for the workforce.”

Stranges said he’s also proud of the 4.5-star rating for Delaware City Schools, where Stranges worked until December 2023.

“For me, it was a source of pride to be associated with this type of accomplishment (at BV) and to know that my previous district did very well also gives me a source of pride,” Stranges said. “There’s some special things going on there that are paying dividends for them. My two feet are in Buckeye Valley, but I do think about the accomplishments we made there, too. If you send your child anywhere in Delaware County, they’re going to get a good education, and I don’t think many counties can say that. I think everything we do in this county is cooperative and collective.”

Stranges said he will work to maintain Buckeye Valley’s five-star rating.

“BV is one of those hidden gems,” he said. “It makes you want to continue to work hard and achieve the highest levels in the state. It’s been a phenomenal journey, and I look forward to continuing that excellence here at Buckeye Valley.”

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.