Official Report Card: Lakewood Schools Earn ‘Continuous Improvement’

It took a while to get the grades, but the official marks for Lakewood City Schools are in: Continuous Improvement.

The news isn’t much of a surprise to school officials, after they received word in September about the district’s progress.

The release of the report cards was delayed for a state investigation into whether some districts manipulated attendance data.

The available information released last year included the percentage of students who scored proficient or higher on state tests and the graduation rates for the 2011-2012 school year report card.

The new information shows the district's final grade at “continuous improvement" for the 2011-12 school year.

In September, district officials said they expected to drop from the “Excellent” rating mark because of an influx of students from other countries who are required to take the achievements tests too early. 

Superintendent Jeff Patterson told Lakewood Patch that the state gives English language learners two years to catch up to their classmates. 

There are 450 students in the district who speak English as a second language.

“You don’t all of a sudden come from a refugee camp and perform the same as your peers,” Patterson said. 

Have a look at the attached PDF at right.