The Ohio Department of Education hopes school districts will begin receiving feedback soon on the 1.8 million state-issued district and individual school report cards, many of which were mailed to homes last week..

        A sampling of more than a dozen schools and central offices contacted this week say they received little feedback from parents on the 2001 report cards.

        The mailings detail how well districts and individual schools fared on proficiency tests and students' attendance and graduation rates using 1999-2000 data.

        They also include comparisons to other schools' performance.

        Department of education officials say the report cards — budgeted at $4.5 million for research, staff, development, technology and distribution the past two years — should spur parents to call school officials to ask about improvement goals and to visit schools to see how teaching and learning takes place, said LeeAnne Rogers, a public information officer for the Ohio Department of Education.

        Cincinnati Public Schools' central office received only a handful of calls last week, said spokeswoman Jan Leslie. Many people were asking for clarification of the report card.

        CPS parents are made aware of how schools are rated through the district's school accountability plan issued at the beginning of the school year, she said.

        Based on improvements in test scores, attendance rates for student and staff and drop-out rates, Cincinnati public schools are placed in four categories: achievement, improvement, intervention and redesign.

        Robert “Bud” Bierly, superintendent of New Miami Local Schools in Butler County, said parents are made aware of his district's rating through district newsletters and other mailings.

        “This is something they've seen from us repeatedly,” he said.

        “We feel like we do a good job of getting that information out.”

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