As things progress, we realize our systems need to progress with them. We hope for wider roads as traffic increases, stable jobs as we buy homes dramatically increasing in value, housing to accommodate our growing population, and one of those infrastructures that is so essential – good schools.
Schools are such a scrutinized necessity. We want to make sure our kids are getting a good education and it’s hard to understand how a teacher balances keeping the some kids challenged without letting others fall behind. We place our critical basis on statistics. Show me the test scores. Show me a “grade.” If that school isn’t a “10” it can’t possibly be good enough for my kids. But what makes a school a 10 versus a 7? Is it because that school didn’t hire the right teachers? The parents aren’t involved enough? The district is underfunded? Or is it because their test scores suffered from being the only school in the district to have a special education program or an English as a second language program? How many parents are aware that a school’s special education program’s scores are calculated with all the other scores?
How we measure these scores can make or break a school. It hurts a school’s reputation or makes it so high in demand parents line up days in advance, camped out on sidewalks, to register their kids. A good score can drive home prices up and demand through the roof – pushing well qualified buyers into condos just to get into an educational system over what? 10 points? 50 points?
Yes, we have Great Schools which is like the Yelp for schools but that’s flawed in it’s own way. Some parents won’t even read the school’s reviews unless it has a score of 10. Regardless of if those reviews say things like, “I love the smaller class sizes because my kid gets more one on one attention.” or “This is the only school in the district with a music program.”
As an agent, I need to promote the facts but I advise my parents to call a school and talk to the parents with kids there. Do your own research before ruling out a school based on such limited information.
It seems like the state is finally taking a step back. Test scores are such a small part of performance and it surely should not be the highest priority in your kids short childhood. The School Quality Improvement Index, recently adopted by six districts statewide, is about taking those test scores further and looking at attendance, how quickly ESL students learn, suspension rates, culture, and more.
From their site:
CORE Districts was approved for a district-consortium request for a federal NCLB waiver on August 6th, 2013. The waiver plan, called the School Quality Improvement System, calls for a reorientation of districts’ work towards a collective effort to prepare all students for college and career, with districts assuming unprecedented accountability to eliminate disparity and disproportionality in all subjects and across the academic, social/emotional, and culture/climate domains.
I think this is going to be dynamic. It’s going to alleviate stress on teachers regarding a single multiple question exam and reward them for making kids want to show up and learn. How awesome is that? It’s working in SF and Oakland, now I only wonder how long it will take to make it to spread to the rest of the Bay Area.
Skokan Team with RE/MAX Star Properties 