Updates to Idaho schools’ online report card go live

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – In addition to updated achievement data and other information, Idaho’s online report card for public schools and districts has added new user-friendly features to enhance stakeholders’ understanding of their local schools.

“Our statewide report card, revamped four years ago, has been a huge help to parents, educators and others, attracting national attention for its features and ease of use,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said. “Stakeholders can gather information on their schools’ achievement progress, demographics, teacher workforce, per-pupil expenditures and much more.”

A “browse” feature allows users to scroll through and compare a list of schools rather than searching directly for one school at a time.

“Each year we continue to improve site navigation and add content to better track indicators of progress. The newest additions, launched this week, include school, district and statewide data on Internet connectivity and chronic absenteeism. It is essential for students to attend school regularly to gain the academic and social skills needed for success, and that success is endangered if they miss 10 percent or more of instruction days – the definition of chronic absenteeism,” the superintendent said. “Tracking absenteeism provides a tool to identify where prevention and early intervention are needed for schools and districts.”

Report card users can select a school or district to view the local 2022 chronic absenteeism rate for the 2022 school year and how it compares to the previous two years. To assess Internet connectivity, stakeholders can view megabits per second (Mbps) of Internet access and the cost of that access.

“The average Mbps per student in Idaho continues to climb each year, and the average cost of that access has fallen every year since 2016,” Superintendent Ybarra said. “Report card users can find that information, along with absenteeism data, under the heading of non-academic indicators. One of our academic indicators, student progress, recognizes the improvement students achieve from year to year toward mastery of grade-level content standards. That feature had been temporarily turned off because of pandemic interruptions in assessment data collection.”

Data featured on the newly updated report card includes:

• Idaho Standards Achievement Test proficiency and growth data
• Spring Idaho Reading Indicator testing and comparison with fall testing
• Student, parent and staff surveys to measure engagement
• Subgroup achievement data needed to measure a school’s progress under an improvement plan.
• English learner progress and proficiency
• Graduation rates
• School enrollment and demographics

The State Department of Education’s online K-12 report card was unveiled in December 2018 as a portal into the results of Idaho’s state accountability plan, approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

In 2019 the national Data Quality Campaign highlighted Idaho as one of three “States to Watch” for the quality of their online report cards. The group singled out Idaho for making its new report card easier to navigate, and for offering Spanish translations and performance data from subgroups including military families, foster care and homelessness.

“By continuing to add features and information to this site, we aim to provide families, educators and others with a one-stop shop for all important data on Idaho schools and districts,” Superintendent Ybarra said.