Clarkston school officials give Michigan’s ‘Education YES? system a failing grade, and will ask parents to lobby legislators for change.
That strategy will accompany appeals of ‘preliminary? failing grades given to five Clarkston school buildings.
‘We’re going to place very little credibility in the Education YES grade,? according to Geri Moore, executive director of elementary education. ‘We hope we all make [Annual Yearly Progress]; that we followed, but the grade really is irrelevant as far as we’re concerned.?
The report came at Monday’s school board meeting, following last week’s release of high school scores in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program. Elementary school test scores were released several weeks ago, and all scores are being used by state officials for the Education YES program’s school report cards.
Where comparisons are possible, Clarkston test scores are still seen as higher than county and state averages when computing how many students ‘meet or exceed? state requirements in the various subject areas. According to the Education YES system, however, which requires ‘annual yearly progress? in getting more students to achieve state standards, Springfield Plains, Clarkston and Bailey Lake elementary schools did not make adequate ‘progress.?
‘These are not public. We do have some appeals we have filed,? Moore said. ‘In the math area, our averages were for the last six years in the 80s and 90s, the states gave us a failing grade on that.?
John Diliegghio, executive director for middle and high school education, said preliminary failing grades have been registered for both district middle schools, but he said there is some error in state record keeping.
Another of the Education YES requirements is to have at least 95 percent of all students participating in the MEAP tests, not only overall but in various subgroups. Diliegghio said the state believes inadequate student percentages were filed in the ‘special education? and ‘economically disadvantaged? categories.
‘Names we had on our list did not show up on their list,? he said.
Clarkston is not alone in filing appeals to preliminary state school grades. Deputy Superintendent Dave Reschke said about 1,200 appeals have been filed statewide.
State officials must take appeals into account before issuing a ‘final? Education YES letter grade for each school building in the state.
Ongoing criticism of MEAP, Education YES and the federal No Child Left Behind program have led school officials to recruit parent lobbyists. Moore said meetings are scheduled with those at each building to forward a form letter to parents, hoping they will write to state legislatures to lobby for change in the standardized testing program and the Education YES school grading system.
As for the MEAP scores themselves, both Moore and Diliegghio reported on various changes in test content and schedule. The new ‘English Language Arts? category combines reading, writing and a new ‘listening? test, and comparison scores for several tests are difficult.
Diliegghio also noted a discrepancy in state reporting methods in the high school tests. Recently released figures for the spring 2003 tests include not only 11th graders, but also 10th graders choosing to take the MEAP early and 12th graders hoping to improve their previous scores.
‘You really have to dig into those scores to disaggregate them to see how our students did on average,? he said.
No matter how the figures are viewed, students apparently need the most help in the new social studies MEAP test. Both Moore and Diliegghio talked of the ‘moving target? with the changing content of the test.
‘It’s not a score we like, but it’s one of those things that pops up just about everywhere when it comes to scores across the state,? Diliegghio said.