By Jennifer Mrozowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent Alton Frailey holds a press conference Wednesday to kick off his Building Excellence program (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

A day after the state of Ohio gave his district its lowest possible academic rating, Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent Alton Frailey unveiled a plan to improve student performance.

"This rating is unsatisfactory to me and should be for all of us," Frailey said Wednesday during a press conference at district headquarters.

Frailey was referring to the Academic Emergency rating the district received from the Ohio Department of Education, which released its annual local "Report Cards" Tuesday. The ratings are based on graduation rates, attendance and the percentage of students passing state tests.

Cincinnati Public met four of the 22 performance indicators. Only three of the state's 608 school districts - Dayton, Federal Hocking and Springfield - met fewer standards than Cincinnati.

Three urban counterparts - Cleveland, Columbus and Youngstown - moved up from the bottom category, to Academic Watch.

"For one year we did reach Academic Watch. While it could indicate improvement, that too would be unsatisfactory," Frailey said

Wearing a shiny hammer pin on his lapel to signify a mission of "Building Excellence," Frailey said his plan centers on aligning the district's curriculum with standards the state says every child should be able to meet.

The 41,000-student system is fractured now, he said, with schools teaching different lessons at different times. In a system where students move from school to school, that must change, he said.

The district will institute new quarterly testing plans so teachers know what students must learn at every grade level before they take state tests.

District officials will distribute instructional guides that help teachers determine when they should be teaching specific lessons throughout the year.

This year, this district is also implementing an instructional management program at a cost of $11.5 million over the next two years. Frailey said the new technology will allow teachers to track which students have met standards and which haven't. The system is designed to help teachers develop lesson plans.

"We have the resources and talent to legitimately set our sights on one of the two top categories in our state accountability system," he said. "The question is, do we have the right game plan? Do we believe our children can learn? Do we have the desire to reach higher levels of achievement? I do."

Carolyn Turner, executive director of Cincinnati Parents for Public Schools, said the district needs more parent involvement.

"It's really time to get serious and have some significant and systemic results. Parent involvement and empowerment have to be integrated in that process. They can't turn this district around in a vacuum.''

School starts today for most of Cincinnati Public Schools. Walnut Hills High and Douglass Elementary already began classes.

E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com

Question and Answer with Supt. Frailey