DUNCAN —
The Duncan Board of Education may have a better understanding about the A-F School Report Card, but the members might have gotten an idea of where some of the trouble areas lie.
During Tuesday’s regular meeting, Duncan Assistant Superintendent Glenda Cobb talked to the school board about the forthcoming school observation and critique program. The A-F Report Card gives schools letter grades, as part of the 3C school reform.
On Monday, the Oklahoma State Board of Education chose to table the release of the grades, which were supposed to be released at 1:30 p.m. that day. Cobb said some of the state board members were responding to the concerns of school districts throughout Oklahoma, which is why the item was tabled.
“They chose to hold off on releasing it,” Cobb said.
The report cards keep track of overall growth and bottom quartile. When it came to overall growth, Cobb said schools receive a point when students make growth from a performance level to another performance level.
But students who received unsatisfactory scores on state testing have a harder time earning a point for the school district, even if the student gains. For that student’s score to count, he or she has to beat the state average to earn a point.
“That’s a point of contention,” Cobb said.
Superintendent Sherry Labyer said this was a concern because it is difficult for students to make that much progress in one year. Even if the student improves greatly, he or she still has to best the state average, which can be rare.
Cobb said another concern some school districts have had with the grading system is what the reform program focuses on. When No Child Left Behind went into effect, it focused on reading and math. The waiver focuses on all content areas, not just reading and math.
She said some school districts focused more on reading and math, and were hurt by the inclusion of the other subject areas.
The bottom quartile includes up to 25 percent of the lowest test scores administered in reading and math. Similarly to the overall performance, students who previously scored unsatisfactory or limited knowledge had to improve above state average.
When it came to the early release of the school grades, only 5 to 8 percent of all schools received A’s. Because the grades weren’t officially released, they are embargoed until the state school board approves the release. Labyer and Cobb aren’t sure how changes with the reform policy could impact Duncan schools’ grades.
Cobb said the report cards are intended to make schools more accountable for how their students are doing.
“We aren’t afraid of accountability,” Cobb said. “We embrace accountability. We just want our grades to reflect accurate data.”
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