Earlier this week the state released the preliminary results of the Alaska School Performance Index (ASPI) data. This is a new rating system that considers a series of data points for each school and then summarizes them by giving a star rating. Five stars is the best a school can do, while one star is the lowest rating. I am pleased that 77% of our schools were rated at either four or five stars. These positive ratings reflect the good work being done to meet our mission of preparing students to be successful in a dynamic world. This rating is of course not the tell-all piece of information about our schools, but they do give us confidence that we are doing well.
Our challenge for this year is to help those schools maintain the five star level of performance and to help the other schools add a star to their rating. Because the star system is designed to compare schools, it is important that the public know which variables are considered when calculating the rating that determines the number of stars. The ASPI considers several items including attendance data that is weighted as 25% of the rating for grades K-8 and 10% for grades 9-12. Several of our 3 star schools showed good academic growth but had poor attendance ratings to knock them down to this lower rating. While it is wrong to simply dismiss poor attendance as the students’ and parents’ fault, it is equally wrong to look at a three star school and assume mediocrity. Although I feel that the new ratings are an improvement over the past AYP all or nothing system, they are not a definitive statement about how well a school is doing. Our website will soon include information on how the ASPI is calculated.
New school rating system
Earlier this week the state released the preliminary results of the Alaska School Performance Index (ASPI) data. This is a new rating system that considers a series of data points for each school and then summarizes them by giving a star rating. Five stars is the best a school can do, while one star is the lowest rating. I am pleased that 77% of our schools were rated at either four or five stars. These positive ratings reflect the good work being done to meet our mission of preparing students to be successful in a dynamic world. This rating is of course not the tell-all piece of information about our schools, but they do give us confidence that we are doing well.
Our challenge for this year is to help those schools maintain the five star level of performance and to help the other schools add a star to their rating. Because the star system is designed to compare schools, it is important that the public know which variables are considered when calculating the rating that determines the number of stars. The ASPI considers several items including attendance data that is weighted as 25% of the rating for grades K-8 and 10% for grades 9-12. Several of our 3 star schools showed good academic growth but had poor attendance ratings to knock them down to this lower rating. While it is wrong to simply dismiss poor attendance as the students’ and parents’ fault, it is equally wrong to look at a three star school and assume mediocrity. Although I feel that the new ratings are an improvement over the past AYP all or nothing system, they are not a definitive statement about how well a school is doing. Our website will soon include information on how the ASPI is calculated.