Written by Andrew Melin, Superintendent 
Valparaiso Community Schools' students continue to excel in several academic performance indicators relative to state averages. The Indiana Department of Education has identified three primary benchmarks they track on the "School Data" page of their website: ISTEP+ test performance, advanced placement test passage, and graduation rate.
Although there are numerous statistical measures that can be used to measure school systems, it is important to note how Valparaiso Community Schools' students compare to those benchmarks.
In terms of overall ISTEP+ test passage, 83% of VCS third-eighth graders passed both the language arts and math portions of the ISTEP+ assessment in the spring of 2010. This compares to 67.7% statewide. The ISTEP+ exam utilizes both objective, e.g., multiple choice and open-ended test questions to evaluate student knowledge of state standards.
Advanced placement (AP) exams are taken by students who take advanced placement courses at the high school level. AP exams can be taken in numerous content areas including English, math, social studies, science, fine arts, and foreign language. Students take a course for a school year and, at the end of the course, can take a standardized test that measures their knowledge. Scores can range from 0-5 on these exams with a three being the minimum passing score. Eighteen percent of VHS students passed these difficult exams in the 2009-10 school year, while only 10.3% of students statewide passed AP exams.
Graduation rate is now measured based upon how many students who enter high school as 9th graders are able to graduate in four years. In Indiana, the state average is 81.6%. The VCS graduation rate is 91.6%. This statistic indicates that nearly 92 of every 100 students who enter VHS as freshmen graduate in four years. What this statistic does not reflect, however, is the 1.2% of special needs students who are cognitively unable to earn a high school diploma but who do complete an approved program of study according to an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The statistic also does not reflect the 1.6% of students who earned a General Education Diploma (GED) in that same time period, or the 2% of students who are still in school. In fact, only 3.6% of VHS students are officially counted as drop-outs.
Later this month, Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and Public Law 221 determinations will be officially released. The preliminary results we have received are very exciting and we look forward to making them public by the end of November.
Valparaiso Community Schools' students have traditionally been highly successful in terms of academic achievement. Even though we are proud of our students and their commitment to high achievement, we also understand we have obligations to assure all students are successful. Therefore, we will continue to strive to meet the academic needs of all students, which should be reflected over time in improved statistical performance as well.