OVERSIGHT BOARD RELEASES SCHOOL REPORT CARDS, DISTRICT REPORTS, AND COMMENDS 254 SCHOOLS; SECRETARY OF EDUCATION COPPEDGE URGES PARENTS TO WEIGH PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOLS By Office of Accountability April 26, 2002   OKLAHOMA CITY - In a release today of the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program's "School Report Cards," the Education Oversight Board commended 254 schools for successfully reaching the board's 70% Performance Benchmark for standardized testing during the 2000-2001 school year. "To make the list, schools must have 70% or more of their students scoring at least "Satisfactory" in all subject areas of the "Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests," Robert Buswell, Executive Director of the Office of Accountability explained. The state-mandated tests are administered in fifth and eighth grade and include Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Geography, the Arts, and U.S. History, Constitution and Government. High school students were tested using the new End-of-Instruction exams in English II and U.S. History and high schools were again included in the Oversight Board's benchmarking. The current list of acclaimed schools includes 152 elementary schools, four middle school/junior high sites, and 98 high schools. Sixty-eight of these schools have achieved the benchmark for five consecutive years. "These schools should be praised, especially those that have reached the goal for several years running," commented State Representative Larry Roberts, board member and Chair of the House Common Education Committee. "These schools consistently offer superior educational programs for the students in their communities." "These report cards are released by the Education Oversight Board through the Office of Accountability. They contain a wealth of information that should be of great interest to parents, patrons, policy makers, grant writers, and researchers," State Senator Penny Williams, board member and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, added. The Office of Accountability produces annual reports at three levels; state, district, and school. Together, they provide over 100 statistics regarding the curriculum, programs, budget, student performance, and community characteristics of Oklahoma's public schools. The School Report Cards have information specific to each public school site. "We have trustworthy data on public education, the time has come to use the data for decision making, and expect the data to improve over time," said Pete Churchwell, Chairman of the Education Oversight Board." These School Report Cards are valuable tools and the Office of Accountability should be commended for its work." "School administrators have always had the data to make effective decisions," said Secretary of Education Dr. Floyd Coppedge. "Now parents and patrons have the data as well and I would urge them to weigh the performance of their schools. If low scores are posted for a school then standing still and making no changes to the program is not an option. Parents, school administrators, and teachers must work together to improve the state's public schools." School Report Cards and District Reports are available on-line at www.SchoolReportCard.org. The State Report and District Reports are also deposited in public, military, and college libraries across Oklahoma. The report cards are printed and mailed to principals each spring in order that they may distribute copies to parents and patrons by the end of the school year. For more information about the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program or "Profiles 2001," contact the Office of Accountability at (405) 522-4578 or visit www.SchoolReportCard.org. For a listing of schools by county, please refer to the attached list titled, "Schools Meeting 70% Performance Benchmark in all Subject Areas Tested for 2000-2001 School Year by Grade."