On Sept. 12, Beachwood City Schools received its highest ranking ever from the Ohio Department of Education, earning the eighth highest  performance index out of 611 school districts in the state.

“We’re very, very pleased with the students’ performances and we’re very pleased with the performance of our teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Richard Markwardt said.

The report cards are based on many factors including test scores, improvement from year to year, graduation rate and pupil services for gifted and disabled students.

The district has been steadily improving in the state rankings. Last year, Beachwood ranked 16th in Ohio, while in 2012, it ranked 17th. In 2011, the district received a lower placing, ranking 28th.

Markwardt attributes the district’s higher performance to renewed emphasis on individualized student learning.

“We’ve talked about collaboration, looked at the standards and we’ve made sure our curriculum aligns with the issues,” he said.

“We’ve looked at every kid and made sure each kid is achieving his or her fullest potential,” Principal Ed Klein said.

Students are also proud of reaching this achievement.

“I get a great education at Beachwood…I expected no less from our school,” sophomore Yuke Zheng wrote in an email.

For Klein, the important thing is to look at students individually.

“We look case by case, student by student, and we say ‘Okay, where is it that we can get better, what do we need to do for this kid, what do we need to do for that kid?” Klein said.

“That’s the beauty of Beachwood,” he said. “We are a small school and we can focus our resources directly there on each individual kid.”

Administrators have recently focused more on teaching strategies.

“The last few years in Beachwood, we’ve focused also on the ‘how’ of instruction,” Markwardt said. He explained that administrators are beginning to focus more on teachers’ use of effective instructional strategies.

Markwardt said the high rating is important for the community and potential families moving into Beachwood.

“I think it sends off a positive message about the school system…knowing that it is very competitive,” junior Reid Gobiseki said.

While Beachwood has moved up in the rankings, the state grading system itself is in flux.

The state has increased the number of factors it considers, and will be changing again with the planned implementation of the new PARCC exams.

“Even under the old system, our performance index was always very high. Not as high as it is now, but high,” said Markwardt.

The state report card looks primarily at standardized test scores. Klein points out that Beachwood has an excellent arts program, brand new building, sports facilities and much more. These are the other things that make up the quality of a student’s learning at Beachwood.

“It’s a snapshot. We just have to be good at that,” Klein said. “I don’t lose sight that we need to constantly stay among the best.”