Discover Cleveland Heights – University Heights Schools When entering a school in the Cleveland Heights – University Heights City School District, one immediately notices the engaging environment and a staff committed to student success. Educators in the District live by eight words:

Every Student, Every Day, Some Success, Some Way.

The District is proud of its steady progress and its continued advancements in State Achievement Test Scores. Gains on Ohio State Tests continued for the District with eight schools meeting the State’s second-highest “Effective” ranking, an improvement from five schools the previous year. In addition, continued student outreach programs and the progress of the Small Schools of Heights High have produced a 96.4% graduation rate, up from 89% last year. The District also posted gains in 11 testing areas that can be compared with last year.

Despite these improvements, the District’s overall ranking was “Continuous Improvement,” missing “Effective” by 1.3 points on the Performance Index, which looks at overall student growth in all test subjects.

With five new testing areas added this year by the State, new challenges were presented to students, teachers, and staff. In a side-by-side comparison of tests students took last year, the District would have actually maintained its ‘Effective’ ranking. However, the District has shown it can adapt each year to changes to the State Testing cycle, and has proven this with each year’s test results. The District made significant progress in a very short amount of time, moving up two categories on the State ranking system in two years.The vision of this District continues to be realized as more and more students meet the challenges before them.

Over 100 years old, the Cleveland Heights – University Heights City School District is an inner-ring suburb nestled to the east of the City of Cleveland. The District serves two adjoining cities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights, and a portion of South Euclid in Northeastern Ohio. These vibrant communities, proud of their diverse racial and religious heritage, have maintained a small-town, friendly atmosphere while being in close proximity to numerous medical, cultural, and academic institutions.

The CH-UH School District serves approximately 6,500 students in seven elementary schools, three middle schools, one high school, an early childhood learning center, and a school for students with emotional needs.

Achievements

• The District received a “What Parents Want” award from a national organization that ranks schools on a number of criteria. Only 6% of schools nationwide received such recognition.

• The District was the only recipient in Ohio to receive the Promising Practice School District Award from the Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC) at the group’s annual fall conference. CH-UH is one of the only districts in the State of Ohio to provide gifted specialists in each building, including a counselor at the high school to assist with post secondary enrollment options and college placements.

Rigor, Relevance, and RelationshipsHighly regarded for its vast array of unique course offerings and the positive contributions by its graduates, Cleveland Heights High School operates within five smaller learning communities to maximize the District’s focus on academic achievement. Each small learning community, located within a larger high school setting of nearly 2,000 students, emphasizes a different instructional model and a rigorous curriculum, relationship building, and relevance to the global society.

• Cleveland Heights High School received approximately $2 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as the U.S. Department of Education, to implement the conversion of our comprehensive high school into five smaller learning communities. The District has been involved in Heights High’s transformation for four years and is beginning to see an impact in profoundly positive ways.

• Cleveland Heights High School was one of five schools from across the nation featured in Parade Magazine for its positive growth due to Small Schools and its family and community outreach efforts.

• Cleveland Heights High School graduate Ruth DeGolia was featured on the July 3, 2006, cover of Newsweek as part of a story titled “15 people who make America great.”

• The Class of 2006 earned $4.7 million in scholarships and had two National Merit Scholarship recipients, four National Merit Scholarship finalists, and seven National Merit Scholarship commended students. One of the Merit finalists was also a National Achievement Scholarship recipient. Another student was acknowledged as a National Achievement Scholarship Commended student. Heights High offers 16 advanced placement courses ranging from Physics and Calculus to Studio Art and Music Theory. 76% of 300 exams taken in May 2006 by 175 students received a passing score of 3 or above on a 5-point scale.

• A Heights High student won the Silver Medal on the 2005-06 National Latin Exam.

• More than 1,200 students take part in the excellent music programs offered by the District. At the high school alone, students make up two jazz ensembles, two orchestras, three concert bands, a marching band, 14 chamber groups, and six vocal performing groups.

• The Cleveland Heights High School boys’ track team won the Indoor State Championship in March 2007.

• The Cleveland Heights High School girls’ lacrosse team was the 2006 Division I State Champions. The boys’ track team was the 2006 Division I State Runners-up in the 4 x 800 Relay Team.

Success Across Grade Levels

• A Monticello Middle School student was named one of two Ohio Middle School Students of the Year for 2005-06.

• The Ohio Department of Education named Monticello Middle School and Wiley Middle School as two of only 10 schools in the state to be selected for the honor of being “Ohio Schools to Watch.”

• Heights High and Roxboro Middle School are 2 of 77 Ohio schools recognized by Standard & Poors for significantly narrowing the achievement gap during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 school years.

• Through a partnership with NASA, a group of students from Heights High, Noble Elementary, and Wiley Middle School made contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station through the use of amateur radio.

• The District actively promotes the core principles of the Civility Project.

Academic AccountabilityThe District requires each school to develop a unique Academic Achievement Plan. These plans are included in the principals’ evaluations, thereby holding them accountable for their students’ successes and growth. Each principal is required to maintain a data notebook that includes the most recent data on student achievement. It is expected that they can reference this document and be able to talk about individual student growth at any given time.

Fiscal Responsibility

• The District continues to be fiscally responsible withcommunity resources. The Auditor of State presented the District with the Auditor’s Award for the District’s exemplary Annual Financial Report. Fewer than five percent of all the agencies audited are eligible for the award.

• For the fifth straight year, the District received the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is one of the highest forms of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and is given to government agencies that publish a comprehensive financial report according to a strict set of standards.