New Mexico’s Public Education Department has released its first-ever batch of A-F grades for public schools around New Mexico. The data relies on several measures to better understand and give parents and students the information they need to see if schools in their community are doing the job and whether student performance is improving or declining. This tool idea was brought to New Mexico by the Rio Grande Foundation as part of the “Florida Model” for education reform.
If that isn’t enough for you (would you rely on just one data source before buying a new car?), check out the recent school analysis tool that was created by the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools.
Students need a 90% average to earn an A; their school needed to score only 75. Students fail with less than 60%; their schools pass with a 38%.
Schools were graded on a curve to make them look better than they are.
How does on hold students accountable to higher standards of performance than their schools? Why would they?
I work in the Special Education Department of Albuquerque’s public school system. These grades are based largely on SBA test scores. Every year I am saddened to watch the kids that I work with have to sit there and struggle taking the same test that their non special education peers take. Most kids in special education have disabilities in reading, writing, and math and it is very unfair that their test grades are counted with the same weight as their peers that don’t have those disabilities. So as long as this is the case, I think it entirely fair to grade schools on a curve.
Let me see – one publicly funded institution ranking another publicly funded institution. What did you expect (Truth, Honesty or Whitewash)