Most traditional high schools in Salt Lake County didn’t get better last year — but they didn’t really get worse, either.
The Utah Board of Education released its annual school report cards Thursday, and according to an analysis by The Salt Lake Tribune, most of the scores along the Wasatch Front stayed the same. “We were really static this year,” acknowledged Darin Nielsen, the state’s assistant superintendent of student learning.
As far as education rankings go, that consistency is not a bad thing. Find full results at utahschoolgrades.schools.utah.gov.
The high school assessments do not include a single letter grade — under the new dashboard system started in 2018 — and instead have four rankings based on achievement on standardized tests, growth in proficiency on those, how much English learners improved and how well students are prepared for college.
A school’s performance in each of those categories, in place of grades, is determined to be exemplary, commendable, typical, developing or critical needs. The Utah Legislature defines those terms as essentially equal to A through F grades.
A review of the 22 traditional high schools in Salt Lake County found that most of the scores remained unchanged from 2018 — 54 of the 88 rankings among them (four for each school), or about 61%. That includes both Herriman High and Jordan High, where all four rankings at both stayed the same.
But of the 35 rankings that did change, most declined. And of those that fell, seven dropped back two or more places (such as from commendable to developing).
East High School in Salt Lake City, for example, dipped in growth and achievement, falling from typical in both categories last year to now developing in both. And it also dropped from commendable to typical in postsecondary readiness.
Of the three high schools in Salt Lake City School District, it had the most dips. Highland High and West High each had one, while their other marks mostly remained the same. A district spokeswoman said Thursday that she wasn’t clear on the reasons why the assessments fluctuated the way they did.
Among the high school scores in Salt Lake County, only six of the 84 rankings improved. Highland saw its achievement ranking improve from typical to commendable; Alta High School in Sandy saw the same jump.
Others saw mixed results. Olympus High improved in growth but declined in progress with its English language learners.
Cyprus High School in Granite School District received grades of C, C, and D in the past few years, ending in 2017. Last year, in the new system, it was ranked as developing in achievement and in the progress of its English learners; typical in growth; and commendable for its students’ postsecondary readiness.
This year, it stayed the same in achievement and growth. But it declined in scores for both English learners — moving down to critical needs — and post secondary readiness — sliding to typical.
District spokesman Ben Horsley said that the ACT and other standardized tests were not interrupted — unlike testing at the state’s elementary and middle schools — “so we don’t believe that had any impact on the performance of Cyprus High.”
Below is a list of the new rankings of all Salt Lake County high schools, with their rankings for 2018 and 2019, followed by their grades for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
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Canyons School District
Alta High • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now commendable. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable, unchanged. Past grades: C, B, B, B, B in 2017.
Brighton High • Achievement: Commendable, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Typical in 2018, now commendable. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable, unchanged. Past grades: C, B, B, B, B in 2017.
Corner Canyon High • Achievement: Exemplary in 2018, now commendable. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable, unchanged. Past grades: n/a, n/a, B, B, B in 2017.
Hillcrest High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: C, B, C, C, D in 2017.
Jordan High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: C, C, C, C, D in 2017.
Granite School District
Cottonwood High • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now developing. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: D, D, C, F, F in 2017.
Cyprus High • Achievement: Developing, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing in 2018, now critical needs. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: D, F, C, C, D in 2017.
Granger High • Achievement: Developing in 2018, now critical needs. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged in 2019. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now developing. Past grades : D, F, D, F, F in 2017.
Hunter High • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now developing. Growth: Commendable in 2018, now typical. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: D, F, C, D, C in 2017.
Kearns High • Achievement: Developing in 2018, now critical needs. Growth: Typical in 2018, now developing. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: F, D, F, F, F in 2017.
Olympus High • Achievement: Commendable, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical in 2018, now exemplary. English learners: Developing in 2018, now critical needs. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable, unchanged. Past grades: C, D, B, C, B in 2017.
Skyline High • Achievement: Commendable in 2018, now exemplary. Growth: Typical in 2018, now commendable. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Exemplary, unchanged. Past grades: B, B, A, B, B in 2017.
Taylorsville High • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now developing. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing in 2018, now critical needs. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: D, D, C, D, C in 2017.
Jordan School District
Bingham High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Critical needs, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: C, B, B, C, C in 2017.
Copper Hills High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical in 2018, now developing. English learners: Critical needs, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: C, B, B, D, D in 2017.
Herriman High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Developing, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: C, B, B, D, F in 2017.
Riverton High • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Typical in 2018, now developing. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: C, B, B, B, B in 2017.
West Jordan High • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now developing. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Critical needs in 2018, now developing. Postsecondary readiness: Typical, unchanged. Past grades: D, C, C, F, F in 2017.
Murray School District
Murray High • Achievement: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Growth: Commendable in 2018, now typical. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Exemplary in 2018, now typical. Past grades: B, B, B, C, F in 2017.
Salt Lake City School District
East High School • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now developing. Growth: Typical in 2018, now developing. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: D, C, C, C, F in 2017.
Highland High School • Achievement: Typical in 2018, now commendable. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Commendable in 2018, now typical. Past grades: D, C, C, C, C in 2017.
West High School • Achievement: Typical, unchanged in 2019. Growth: Typical, unchanged. English learners: Developing, unchanged. Postsecondary readiness: Exemplary in 2018, now typical. Past grades: F, C, D, D, C in 2017.
