Do today’s testing results show that our public schools are raising student achievement? School districts seem to think so. Take this Charlotte-Mecklenburg press release, for example,
State results released Aug. 7 show that 77.8 percent of CMS schools had either expected or high growth in the 2007-2008 school year. That compares to 67.5 percent of schools for the 2006-2007 year. “This shows that we are moving in the right direction,? said Superintendent Peter C. Gorman.
Of course, the problem is that this year’s growth calculation does not include results from SIX tests: End-of Grade (EOG) Reading (grades 3-8), Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Physics. That is a BIG deal. It calls into question the validity of the results.
Moreover, one cannot compare last year’s results with this year’s results, so school systems cannot legitimately claim that they have improved from the 06-07 school year to the 07-08 school year. Apples and oranges, people – apples and oranges.
If you really want to know how a school system is doing, then take a look at their four-year graduation rate. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg press release referenced above does not mention their graduation rate for good reason. It dropped by over seven percent.
