For the past several years there has been a push to make schools more accountable. Some, driven by a sense of fiscal responsibility, want to ensure a good return on the investment of public dollars. Others, driven by a desire to see our students outperform their peers from across the globe are raising the bar, expecting more from our schools. While all of us in education accept the need to be accountable, it seems that few know how to fully determine whether a school is performing as well as it can. It is simple to expect growth from a school that is doing poorly, but this same expectation is not as simple for a school with a relatively high level of performance. With that said I suspect that all of our schools can do better. What I can’t determine is how much better. It is naïve to think that every student in every school will be performing at grade level. There are simply too many external limitations to make this happen. To accurately determine how well a school can perform requires an extensive analysis that considers all the variables that affect student learning. Such a study would be difficult because some of the variables are beyond the control of the school. In a perfect world a school would have the resources to address each of such a study’s findings. And while critics of education are quick to say blaming poor home conditions for poor performance is an excuse, it is without question a piece of the puzzle that needs consideration.
Earlier this week we received the preliminary results of the Standards Based Assessments. These annual tests are the primary way that we use to determine whether a school is being successful. Each year when I review these results, my expectation is that our students will improve. Predictably, some of our schools improved but some did not. As is always the case, our schools with the lowest poverty levels are our highest performers. Yet, this variable is not considered when comparing schools. As we head toward the public announcement of how our schools did on these standardized tests, it is important to note that a judgment of schools must consider as many of the variables that affect student learning as possible. As a way to offer a broader perspective, we are looking beyond the SBA scores by using the 7 indicators of college readiness as a way to determine how we are doing. Next week staff will review how their students are doing on these seven points that are appropriate to their school.
As we race to the finish line of our school year it is important for all of us to thank our dedicated staff for all that they do for our students. Please take a moment to do so.
Assessing Schools
For the past several years there has been a push to make schools more accountable. Some, driven by a sense of fiscal responsibility, want to ensure a good return on the investment of public dollars. Others, driven by a desire to see our students outperform their peers from across the globe are raising the bar, expecting more from our schools. While all of us in education accept the need to be accountable, it seems that few know how to fully determine whether a school is performing as well as it can. It is simple to expect growth from a school that is doing poorly, but this same expectation is not as simple for a school with a relatively high level of performance. With that said I suspect that all of our schools can do better. What I can’t determine is how much better. It is naïve to think that every student in every school will be performing at grade level. There are simply too many external limitations to make this happen. To accurately determine how well a school can perform requires an extensive analysis that considers all the variables that affect student learning. Such a study would be difficult because some of the variables are beyond the control of the school. In a perfect world a school would have the resources to address each of such a study’s findings. And while critics of education are quick to say blaming poor home conditions for poor performance is an excuse, it is without question a piece of the puzzle that needs consideration.
Earlier this week we received the preliminary results of the Standards Based Assessments. These annual tests are the primary way that we use to determine whether a school is being successful. Each year when I review these results, my expectation is that our students will improve. Predictably, some of our schools improved but some did not. As is always the case, our schools with the lowest poverty levels are our highest performers. Yet, this variable is not considered when comparing schools. As we head toward the public announcement of how our schools did on these standardized tests, it is important to note that a judgment of schools must consider as many of the variables that affect student learning as possible. As a way to offer a broader perspective, we are looking beyond the SBA scores by using the 7 indicators of college readiness as a way to determine how we are doing. Next week staff will review how their students are doing on these seven points that are appropriate to their school.
As we race to the finish line of our school year it is important for all of us to thank our dedicated staff for all that they do for our students. Please take a moment to do so.