SYRACUSE — School accountability letter grades for the 2016-17 school year were officially released publicly Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 4, by the Indiana Department of Education. Locally, two schools in the Wawasee Community School Corporation improved their letter grades compared to the previous school year, two schools remained the same and one was a grade lower.

For the 2015-16 school year, all Wawasee schools were given a C grade. For the 2016-17 school year, Wawasee High School and North Webster Elementary each improved to a B, Syracuse Elementary and Milford School remained a C, while Wawasee Middle School dropped one letter grade to a D.

Joy Goshert, assistant superintendent for WCSC, noted high schools have multiple data points used to determine their letter grades. In addition to ISTEP+ results, the graduation rate and college and career readiness are used. College and career readiness includes the percentage of students taking advanced placement exams, earning dual credit and-or receiving industry certification.

“Those multiple measures tend to help high schools, especially ones like ours who have a strong career tech program and are offering multiple dual credit and AP course options,” Goshert said. “Ultimately, that is what we want schools to be doing — making sure our students are college and career ready.”

Letter grades for elementary and middle schools, though, are based completely on ISTEP+ results. That assessment will change when a new test is introduced during the 2018-19 school year.

Goshert added “for the 2017-18 school year, we are being told we will receive two letter grades, one using the current system and one using the criteria in Indiana’s ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plan.” She noted “we still have concerns with the system,” though IDOE did say in its press release new metrics went into effect beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

Statewide, nearly 25 percent of schools improved one or more letter grades with close to 6 percent improving their letter grade to an A. Letter grades for entire school corporations will be issued later.