The Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education says they spent more than half a year gathering input from the public on what areas they felt needed more attention in the district.
On Monday, the board came out with its goals and guidelines, outlining the district's top goals for the next five years and its expectations for new Superintendent Iranetta Wright.
One of the most critical areas for the district was its graduation rate. The most recent numbers from the Ohio School Report Card indicate CPS' graduation rate is well below the state's standard, earning a one-star rating out of a potential five stars.
In last week's State of the Schools address, the superintendent said the graduation rate was a top priority for the district. She said she plans to improve this by making the requirements for graduation clear to each student and by encouraging teachers to connect with students on a personal level to keep them engaged in school.
By 2027, CPS wants to improve its graduation by over 13%, raising it to 97% which would exceed the state's standard.
Other areas of focus included raising scores on state tests, where the district has struggled significantly.
Among the district's goals was increasing the reading proficiency of its third graders by at least 3% each year and closing the gap in reading proficiency between sixth-grade minority students and white students on the Ohio State Test.
In addition to CPS' goals, the board also laid out its guardrails for the superintendent, which highlighted student issues not explicitly linked to test scores and state ratings like mental health, school environment, and community involvement.
The full Goal and Guardrails document from the Cincinnati Board of Education can be read below:
