DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today released new results and features in an online school accountability reporting system called the Iowa School Performance Profiles.

The website shows:

• Updated scores and ratings for all public schools based on how they performed on a set of accountability measures in the 2021-22 school year
• Schools that have been identified for additional support and improvement based on their performance
• A new extended designation for schools that continue to need support and improvement based on their performance
• Additional data that are required by law but do not count toward accountability scores

This is the first year since 2019 that new schools are being identified for additional support to meet requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The U.S. Department of Education offered states flexibility from federal accountability requirements for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to the unique circumstances caused by the pandemic.

“This is an important tool for parents, educators and other stakeholders to understand how their schools are performing,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo. “While the Iowa School Performance Profiles does not tell the full story about schools, the website provides important data to help schools with their improvement planning, identifying supports to address high-need areas and improving student outcomes going forward.”

This year, 33 schools representing five percent of all Title 1 public schools, as well as schools with graduation rates lower than 66 percent, have been identified as needing comprehensive assistance and support based on the performance of their students. Title 1 schools typically serve high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families.

Another 337 schools have been identified in need of targeted assistance and support based on the performance of a subgroup of their students (students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, English learners, students with disabilities or students by racial/ethnic group).

Differing from ESSA support status designations, school rating categories were calculated last year and provide a comparison for the new 2022 ratings. The overall distribution of schools by rating category changed only slightly from last year. The Acceptable category saw the highest increase (3.5 percentage points), while the Exceptional category remained the same. The share of schools in the bottom two rating categories (Needs Improvement and Priority) decreased by 2.2 percentage points combined.

The Iowa School Performance Profiles, launched in 2018, meets state and federal requirements to publish report cards reflecting the performance of all public schools.

For more information, visit iaschoolperformance.gov.