What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Private School Testing Ohio Standards/Ratings Kentucky Standards/Ratings Indiana Standards/Ratings
(NEW) Expanded Tri-State Daycare Listings Our initial daycare search was based on NAEYC certified childcare centers. We promised to expand our listings to include daycares throughout the Tri-State. We have now expanded our daycare search to include more than 8,000 daycare providers throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Daycare Quality Ratings: What is Paths To Quality? (INDIANA) The standards for Paths to Quality are consistent but tailored for family child care homes and for licensed centers and unlicensed registered ministries. Paths to Quality is a system where each level builds on the foundation of the previous one, resulting in significant quality improvements at each stage and resulting in national accreditation at the highest level. The system validates programs and providers for ongoing efforts to achieve higher standards of quality and provides incentives and awards for success. The four levels address:
Daycare Quality Ratings: What is Stars for Kids Now? (KENTUCKY) STARS for KIDS NOW, Kentucky's voluntary quality rating system for licensed Type I and Type II child care centers and Certified family child care homes. This system uses a scale of 1 through 4 STARS to identify levels of quality. All STAR levels surpass the minimum licensing requirements, that all programs must meet. Early care and education programs work to meet standards associated with quality care that result in positive outcomes for young children. Programs are assessed in the following areas: staff/child ratios, group size, curriculum, parent involvement, training/education of staff, regulatory compliance, and personnel practices. STARS for KIDS NOW provides parents with a tool to help identify levels of quality when seeking a childcare setting outside of their home. Childcare centers and family childcare homes participating in STARS for KIDS NOW demonstrate a commitment toward providing quality care and education. Parents can use the rating system to gain an understanding of the factors that contribute to quality care and education, and can choose a child care setting that best matches their family's needs. Click here for more info on Kentucky's Stars for Kids Now program.
Daycare Quality Ratings: What is Step Up To Quality? (OHIO) Step Up to Quality is Ohio's Star Rating system for licensed early childhood programs. Step Up To Quality are unique programs that offer – highly trained teachers; fewer children per classroom; early education programming and a commitment to continuous improvement. Step Up To Quality programs earn one, two or three stars. Each star signals a higher standard of staff qualifications and planned early learning activities. Click here for more info on Ohio's Step Up to Quality program and definitions for star levels.
Are there other daycare quality certifications? Yes. There are a number of national and regional accreditations for daycares. We launched our initial CincySchoolZone daycare search using only NAEYC certified programs because NAEYC accreditation has become the mark of quality throughout the nation for daycares and other childcare programs. However, we have expanded our data to include all daycares throughout the Tri-State. Some state agencies have included certification from the following organizations:
What is NAEYC? Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is an organization dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. For More Information: www.naeyc.org/
What is NAEYC Certification? To earn NAEYC Accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards of excellence by successfully performing at least 80 percent of the criteria related to each standard.
What is a Strive school? Strive is a partnership of educators, nonprofit organizations, corporations, civic organizations, philanthropists and elected officials who are committed to improving the quality of education in Cincinnati, Newport and Covington. Strive is funded by KnowledgeWorks. For more information about Strive, its goals and its partners, visit www.strivetogether.org.
What geographic areas are covered on CincySchoolZone? We started by including all Elementary/Middle/High schools in "Cincinnati USA," a region of 15 counties located in three states (OH/KY/IN). We will continue to expand our listings to cover the entire Tri-State. If think your school or district should be included, please click here.
Why isn't my college/university listed? Our initial list showcases 30 colleges and universities across the Tri-State. We will continue to expand our list providing full profiles, campus photos and videos to name a few of the upcoming highlights.
Why isn't my elementary or high school listed? We made every effort to create a comprehensive guide to the Cincinnati USA's schools, both public and private. We may have omitted certain schools or districts if they are located in counties too far removed from Cincinnati's core. It is also possible that we missed a school if it is new, its contact information has changed, or if it was part of an overall restructuring in a district. If you think your school or district should be included, please click here.
Why doesn't my school have all the information listed like other schools? Ultimately, we can only report the information provided by the schools and, in the case of public schools, the state. Private schools provide information at their own discretion. They are not required to report test scores or graduation rates. Public schools are required to report a lot more information to the state, however, that information is not always complete. There are other factors as well. OH, KY and IN each have a different system of analysis and highlight certain data categories, making some information more readily available than others.
Why doesn't my school have a rating? Private schools are not rated by the state. If a public school doesn't have a rating, it's likely because it was not available in the state's report. This should be a rare case. All public schools and districts are required to have a rating. Ratings are determined based on the data that schools/districts provide to the state as well as observational studies that the state conducts.
What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is one of the cornerstones of the Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) signed into law January 2002, as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. In Washington, it is primarily a measure of year-to-year student achievement on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in reading and mathematics. One of the requirements of NCLB is that states develop a baseline or starting point for students to achieve proficiency as measured by WASL math and reading scores (science will be added). Each year the state must "raise the bar" in gradual increments so that by 2013-2014, all (100%) students will achieve proficiency in each subject area. For more information about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, click here.
Private Schools: Some private schools voluntarily reported their own testing data. These tests include the Terra Nova Achievement Test and the The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Terra Nova is published by McGraw-Hill, and is used in grades K-12. The ITBS is used in grades K-8. Each assesses student ability in major content areas.
Ohio: Public school test data is based on the Achievement test, which measures students in grades 3 - 8 in mathematics, reading, science, social studies and writing. Ohio schools are required to have at least 75% of their students test at or above Ohio's defined "Proficient Level." For example, if a school has 83.2% for 4th Grade Reading or 8th Grade Math, this means that 83.2% of that school's students tested at or above the "Proficient Level." Ohio's School Rating is based on the combination of:
Kentucky: The Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) includes the Kentucky Core Content Test, writing portfolios and prompts, alternate assessments for students with severe to profound disabilities, the ACT, PLAN and nonacademic components. These scores are listed as percentages for "Elem. Reading" and "Elem. Math" of students who tested at or above Kentucky's "Proficient Distinguished" level. For more information, visit www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE.
School Accountability Status
District Accountability Status
Indiana: The Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) measures what students know and are able to do at each grade level. Based on Indiana's Academic Standards, ISTEP+ provides a learning checkup to make sure students are on track and signal whether they need extra help. AYP stands for Adequate Yearly Progress. For more information, visit www.doe.in.gov.
