By Zach Swenson and Nick Edwards

Recently report cards from the state of South Dakota were sent out to all schools. Every year South Dakota puts their schools to the test to see how they compare against other schools in the state and country. The primary way to do this is to give students each year a generic test, which measures how students match up against others. Overall, the report card grades schools using a School Performance Index (SPI) which balances three categories, each with a rating out of 100 SPI points. The categories are college readiness, math and English.

Central’s scores turned out to be good, coming in overall at 59.56/100 SPI. In the areas of English and college readiness Central scored above the state’s average; in math Central’s scores fell below state average. Combined with solid career readiness results, these scores created the SPI score and will help Central know what to work on in certain curriculum areas. “We need to find the weak spots, focus on them, and improve” explained Central math teacher Nichole Anderson. “I would love to see the students improve in math and in time be above the state average.”  Many teachers including Nichole Anderson believe scores will be improving soon and with rising demand on schools for better scores Central High is headed in the right direction.