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DEL.ICIO.USGrading Georgia Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said in her recent “state of education” address that the state’s school report cards will include “ratings of schools on a Performance Index.”
That doesn’t sound like Georgia will hand out letter grades like Florida does, but it may make it easier for parents to compare schools. Let’s face it, fair or not, many parents want to know which schools have the highest test scores.
The state will begin phasing in the 2004-2005 Report Card in September, with all components online by December, Cox said.
Should schools get a letter grade? Critics say schools can’t be boiled down to a single letter grade, and a grade of D or F can profoundly hurt a school that’s trying to improve. Proponents say parents don’t have time to sort through the ocean of data that’s out there. If not letter grades, what type of “index” would be fair?
Comments
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By JHB
September 9, 2005 02:53 PM | Link to this
There should be an overall grade and a grade by race. Unfortunately, all the money and good teachers in the world cannot overcome non-caring parents who do nothing at home to motivate their children. Schools and teachers often get the blame when the problem really begins at home.
By Lee
September 9, 2005 03:18 PM | Link to this
How about this for a benchmark:
The number of teachers who pulled their kids out of the school and placed them in a private school.
I mean, if the teachers who teach in a school, who have first hand knowledge of all the bullcrap, lose faith in the ability of the school to teach their kids, what does that say for the school?
By Robert
September 9, 2005 04:07 PM | Link to this
Hard to truely compare schools most of the time. It is often like comparing apples to oranges.
Usually the school will mirror the community. So if there is any comparison between schools there must be some correction for the different communities as well.
However, I would suggest comparing high schools by the graduates that it produces. What percentage of HS graduates go to college? What types of colleges do they get admitted to? This does tell a story about how well that HS is preparing their students, and after all, isn’t this the bottom line?
By Bubba
September 12, 2005 11:53 AM | Link to this
I agree with Robert - comparing schools is difficult. Maybe fairer to compare schools with similar demographics to learn whether one school is actually doing something better than another. Almost half the students at some N Fulton schools are gifted - they would get high scores even if the teachers were lousy! and I have seen some great teachers, doing extraordinary things, at some very low scoring schools - the teachers were fantastic and the children learned more than they ever had, yet the schools scores continue to be low relative to some other schools - they might be the best school in the country for their students but may not ever come close to a school where half the population is gifted or selected as in a private school…
By Y.A.
September 12, 2005 01:14 PM | Link to this
Unfortunately, school performance does not really measure the teaching ability or competence of its staff..it does however measure the motivation, capabilities, and cognitive abilities of its students. It is easy to teach these high performing children of well-educated and active parents…it is very difficult and challenging to teach the children of poor, sometimes even illiterate, and marginilized parents.
By Becca
September 13, 2005 03:15 PM | Link to this
It really doesn’t matter how the schools are rated. The public schools in Georgia are AWFUL. Yes, AWFUL. And no matter how they are rated or who they are rated by they will still be awful. The Dept. of Education needs to go to a private school to learn how to treat students, how to teach students and how to disipline students. The things that go on in public schools are the things that keep the kids from learning anything. it is the very worst environment for growth and education and I am 100% behind getting rid of it forever unless they change EVERYTHING.