(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s new changes to its 1–5 star school ratings leave parents unclear on local school performance, according to a report by the Institute for Reforming Government.
The rating system assesses the performance of schools and districts for the public to see how schools are performing and where improvements may be needed.
However, even after the DPI invited educators to a 3-day meeting to set 2025 ratings benchmarks that could affect school board decisions and even property values, IRG said, just like last year, no district will receive a 1-star rating even if they are considered “underperforming.”
“Parents picking schools for their children deserve honesty, not spin. This new report card system rewards some low-performing schools and penalizes some of the best high-performing schools,” said IRG senior research director Quinton Klabon. “This is about transparency and trust. Wisconsin students and parents deserve report cards that tell the truth about every school so parents are empowered to make informed decisions for their students.”
According to IRG, Wisconsin sits at 34th nationally in early reading.
The IRG report includes that the DPI’s committee meeting will result in the following:
0 districts will be rated 1 star, with “underperformers” like Milwaukee or Monona Grove being rated 2 stars or more.Almost all of the state’s low-poverty schools (under 30%) will earn 4 or 5 stars, according to committee members. IRG said while some are Wisconsin’s highest performers, parents in the suburbs “need to know when their schools are not meeting the highest expectations.”The committee did not “significantly” raise expectations for schools. While the DPI was poised to raise standards, putting more schools into 1, 2, and 3-star ratings, IRG said a flurry of last-minute amendments, approved by a ⅔ majority, made the final benchmarks easier than their initial recommendations.In conclusion, the benchmarks sent to DPI are 49/100 for 2 stars, 60/100 for 3 stars, 71/100 for 4 stars and 84/100 for 5 stars.
However, DPI Superintendent Jill Underly praised the new performance benchmarks as keeping the DPI’s accountability system “reflective of what’s happening in classrooms today.”
“As I’ve said before, just as you wouldn’t rely on a decade-old GPS to find your way today, we can’t use outdated performance benchmarks to guide school improvement,” Underly said in a statement. “Students are learning in new, dynamic ways, and accountability systems must keep pace.”
The recommendations will soon go to Underly for final approval, with school report cards likely being released to the public in November.
