This past week ODE recently released their flawed annual report card ratings. They have been releasing these ratings for over a dozen years now, and the constantly moving targets they present have caused more than a few of us in education to scratch our heads. Over the years, we have seen the standards move multiple times and the test change. The formula at one time gave bonus points for improvement and included writing along with reading and math. Now students that exceed get more credit in the formula, but students who are within one point of meeting the standard are worth the same as students who are 20 points beneath it. Zero.
Lebanon High School again was rated “In Need of Improvement,” the lowest rating a school can receive. This rating was given in spite of the fact the school posted an 18% gain in reading and an 11% gain in math. However, because the formula is biased against schools like ours that allow students to pursue their learning at the community college level by providing a 5th and 6th year of education, it is impossible for LHS to get anything other than the lowest rating they offer—even if every one of our students at LHS aced the test.
This is the third year of the current version of the formula. Not only do high schools get punished in the formula for providing a more advanced expanded diploma, the formula also places schools with populations of at-risk students at a severe disadvantage. The current formula is based on what is called the Achievement Index. The A.I. is calculated by averaging all of the reading and math test scores. However, all scores are not treated the same. Students who are labeled economically disadvantaged, SPED, ELL, or come from certain minority groups have their scores counted multiple times in the formula. The end result of such treatment? Schools with more challenging populations are placed at an unfair advantage when compared to more affluent school populations. I think you can understand why these ratings aren’t worth our time or energy anymore. We are hoping the current discussion in the state of pursuing a Waiver to NCLB will be an opportunity to fix the formula.
So if ODE’s report card is not a fair or accurate measure of school success or progress, what can we use? What if we could measure something that really mattered? Something that was worth holding our breath for? In Lebanon, we think Level of Task---the quality of work students are doing---is the most important thing we can work on. We are in the process of training staff on how to provide high quality work that promotes high levels of thinking, reading, writing, and speaking in all of our classrooms. We have over 70 teachers this year involved in a Portfolio Project where they will collect and reflect on artifacts of their teaching and have this digital collection reviewed by their peers. This is work that matters and will have a big impact on the success of our students.
It also matters that at each level our students are prepared to be successful at the next level. In our lower grades, this means we strive to help all of our students reach academic skill benchmarks in reading, math, writing, science, and speaking through a variety of formative and summative assessments. All of those benchmarks are defined, and we report progress to parents on them regularly.
In the upper grades, this means students are pursuing more challenging courses that culminate in the opportunity to earn an honors diploma or receive college credits through College Now, Advanced Placement, or Beyond LHS. Last year Lebanon students earned over 5,000 college credits through these programs—more than any other school in the state to my knowledge. If that means “In Need of Improvement,” so be it. We are always looking to improve.
