Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls school district officials say they were pleased with their scores on the recently released DPI report cards.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction releases the report cards each year, measuring schools across the state on student achievement across a variety of metrics. The agency ranks schools across four priorities: achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and on-track for graduation. The Department of Public Instruction weighs those priorities differently when calculating the final score based on each district’s capabilities and needs.

The Eau Claire Area School District received a score of 71.1, meaning the district is exceeding expectations. Mandy Van Fleet, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning for the district, says despite the encouraging numbers they’re always looking for areas to improve.

“You know, when you look at our school report card, many of our numbers will show that we are above many of the other districts across the state,” she said. “So we’re proud of that work. We’re not ok with status quo. We want to continue to push ourselves to become better and better.”

Van Vleet also credited local voters for passing an operational referendum in recent years. Referendums have become a common need for districts across the state, and districts that fail to approve one often face staffing and program cuts.

A few miles north, the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District received a score of 70.6, meaning the district is meeting expectations. Officials say the score marked a significant improvement over last year, especially at the elementary school level.

Katie Coppenbarger, Director of Teaching and Learning for the District, also highlighted the importance of support from the Chippewa Falls community in achieving those marks. Like Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls voters approved an operational referendum over recent years to help maintain the programs and services offered at their schools.

“It’s a good return on investment,” Coppenbarger said. “We’ve seen our community support us financially and I hope they feel like we’re providing them a good return on investment with the achievement, and what we’re doing with our students, and the money that they’ve trusted us, and the kids that they’ve trusted us with.”

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