This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 26, 2013 - Five observations after studying MAP test scores and other evaluations of Missouri school districts, along with educators’ reaction to the numbers:
1. Those who would like to see a simpler system where individual schools are graded A-F might find more supporters after being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of statistics unloaded on the public – and on education reporters – this time each year.
2. The size of a school district has no direct correlation to how well it performs. Brentwood schools, one of the smallest districts in the area with 772 students, scored 100 percent on its annual performance report. So did Strain-Japan, a Jefferson County district with 60 students in kindergarten through 8th grade, and Franklin County R-2, with 147 students in K-8.
3. School superintendents -- and their PR people -- have to master one skill above all others: Finding a nugget of good news in an otherwise disappointing report and shining a bright spotlight on it while acknowledging that a lot of other areas need more attention.
4. The difficulty in presenting all of these numbers in a readily understandable, easily digestible format is additional evidence – if anyone needed it – of how hard it is to turn around the performance of a school district or any individual school.
5. The school district that educates anyone who can totally understand and explain all of these numbers deserves to be accredited with distinction -- forever.