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JANUARY 2008

A Look At Progress Reports

By Ernest Logan

The progress reports that were released last month by the Department of Education and which graded New York City Public Schools on a scale of A to F were borne of good intentions.  They aimed to provide parents with an overall  assessment of public schools by evaluating factors  such as standardized test scores, graduation  rates, attendance, and student progress. In  the end, however, rather than making parents  feel more confident in their children’s schools  or clearly identifying where improvements are  needed, they instead generated skepticism and  confusion. Sometimes good intentions can often  be frustrated by poor execution. As with any  new initiative, there will be issues that need  to be addressed. Let us take the time NOW to  ensure that next year, these reports will more  accurately and fairly assess ALL New York City  public schools.

We all agree a meaningful assessment of our  schools, administrators and teachers is necessary  to truly challenge this system and move  our students forward. Although the concept of  progress reports was a step in the right direction,  many issues have emerged since their release. For  example, the reports only assessed some public  schools and not others. They also relied heavily  on standardized test scores, grouped schools in an  unclear way, and penalized schools where a large  portion of students were performing at or above  grade level. Schools with solid records of performance  received below average grades.

We believe the progress reports should meet  four basic challenges; they should be accurate,  transparent, equitable and understandable.  Progress reports are supposed to provide a clear  lens into our schools,  not vague notions.  Moving forward, we  must make certain that  progress reports will:

• Hold the entire New York City public school system accountable, including  District 75, 79, K-2 &  City-funded Charter  schools.
• Encompass more than just standardized tests scores by looking at students “holistically”.
• Measure schools by more than a single letter grade.
• Group schools fairly (including demographics, level of overcrowding and the number of Special Education and ELL students).
• Use data covering a minimum of three years to more accurately determine progress.
• Provide more opportunities for extra credit (especially for schools where students take college level courses).
• Coordinate with ongoing professional development on how to maintain, understand and analyze data.
• Take into account any intervention that is needed for students entering High School at levels 1 & 2.

We also must ensure additional supportive  services are provided to schools in need, and we  must all work together to find the most effective  tools to properly measure our schools and  improve student achievement.# 

Ernest Logan is the President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

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