Prior to winter break, Columbus East received the school letter grade of a B.

School letter grades are determined by the Indiana Department of Education and are comprised of two parts: the performance domain and the multiple measures domain. The performance domain is weighted as 25% of the total grade, while the multiple measures domain receives the remaining 75%.

The performance domain is dependent upon standardized testing, specifically the Core 40 and ISTEP+. Last year, the graduating class of 2018 was the tested group, and . As a group, they scored a 52.6% on English/Language Arts and a 38.8% on Mathematics. These percentages translated into a total of 11.42 weighted points.

“It’s difficult to quantify the school grade – I don’t like how it puts weight on standardized tests,” said Principal Mark Newell. “However, this is reality and fortunately there is more emphasis on the multiple measures domain.”

Additionally, East’s College Career Readiness program, or CCR, and graduation rate partner together to form the multiple measures domain. East obtained over 100 points in this category. This domain was rightly coined an “East strength” by Newell, for East has an overabundance of C4 and AP classes. Therefore, it is simple as well as highly encouraged for students to take that additional step to further their education.

To close, Newell said, “Our main goal is to help all students be successful. Yet, success is unique to each individual, so we are then left with the question: How do we make each individual successful?”