MPS breaks down successes and areas to improve upon in latest state report card

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin's largest school district is reacting to the Department of Public Instruction's latest report cards.

MPS was deemed to "meet expectations", and district leaders say there is more good news when they dig even deeper into the data. District leaders say there is improvement in most discipline areas.

And while there is room for improvement as graduation and absentee rates are below state average, the district says concerted efforts are being made.

Dr. Melanie Stewart is the director of Research, Assessment, and Data for MPS. She told us, "We're proud. We're proud of the effort. We're proud of the progress that it shows."

Milwaukee Public Schools scored a 58.0 out of 100 on its 2022-2023 state report card, an improvement from the year before.

The state factors in different priority areas for each district. Since MPS scored better in the achievement and growth sectors, it earned three stars for meeting expectations.

Dr. Stewart said, "We are seeing steady increases, not necessarily as much as we would like to see, but nonetheless in all of the subject areas."

In particular, English and math scores are up for nearly every student population.

But 23 of the district's 142 schools fail to meet expectations. And graduation and absentee rates are still below the district's target area.

Dr. Stewart said, "We have district efforts in place this year about getting our students' attendance higher."

The report card is an overall snapshot of a district that serves more than 67,000 students, but Dr. Stewart said it's important to look deeper than just the stars and the score.

She said the district's strategic plan is helping connect students with the right resources. "It's working together to make certain that our students have experienced rigorous instruction."

And she says while the district is always looking at big picture issues, the greatest impact will likely come inside the classroom. She said, "We also know it's going to be the day-to-day working together to make a difference for every child in Milwaukee Public Schools."

The state report cards factor in data from the last three years, so this is the first report card with all post-pandemic data. Dr. Stewart says that provides a more balanced comparison compared to pre-pandemic data.