EXAMINING THE USE OF SCHOOL
GRADES AS A POLICY MEASURE
FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Robert W. Smith
Watson College,
UNCW
How do we Evaluate Schools and
Support Improvement?
• Should we use rewards and sanctions?
• Should we label school performance?
eg “School of
Distinction,” School of low growth?
• Should we give a letter grade to a school’s
performance?
• Are “market forces” (accountability, competition and
consumer choice) the way forward?
• What are other approaches to school improvement?
School Reform & Accountability
• Evaluation of schools and outcomes is well established
• NC:
ABCs(1995-2012) – schools of progress,
distinctions, High Growth, Expected growth, Low
performing, Schools of Progress and Priority Schools
• State Assistance teams, teachers at schools achieving
exemplary growth got $1000 bonus
• Individual School Report Cards
• SC: Absolute & Growth Ratings – Excellent, good, avge,
below avge, at risk
Reasons for Increased Accountability and
assumptions of Reform Model
• Increased cost of public schools
• Gaps between students
• Belief that “market forces” (business operates under) –
competition, accountability and rewards and sanctions, plus
choice – improve outcomes and efficiency.
• NCLB Sanctions–school’s that fail to meet AYP for 2 years –
school choice; 3 years offer tutoring; 5 years restructured
• Market Force model well established in UK
NC’s Model based on Growth and
Proficiency
•What would you see as the concerns with
Growth?
•What would you see as the concerns with
Proficiency?
•How much weight should be given to
each?
NC’s Policy on Grading Schools
•NC 2013, Every traditional and public
charter school will receive an A-F letter
grade.
•School grades are based 80% on
achievement and 20% on growth.
•Students tested on Reading & Math (3-8),
Science (5-8); 5 Measures 9-12
Survey of Principals in NC
•308 principals responded
•Years of experience: 33%, 5-9 years
•Current position: 64%, 1-4 years
•Schools: 47% Elementary; 21% Middle; 23%
High
•Location: 55% Rural; 22% Suburban; 22%
Urban
Percentage of Students who Qualify for
Free Lunch
% of
Less
10-20
student than 10
s for
free
lunch
All
2.6% 5.5%
respond
ents
N=308
21-40
41-60
61-80
81-100
16.5%
22.4%
26.9%
35.9%
Grade Your School Received
A
B
C
D
F
All
4.54%
respondent
s (N=289)
23.88% 43.25% 21.80% 6.23%
Grades for 5%
All NC
schools
2,424
24%
41%
23%
6%
Grade that the School Received
An Accurate Strongly Disagree Neither Agree
Reflection Disagree
Agree
of the
nor
School and
Disagree
its Students
Strongly
Agree
All
30.90%
respondents
(N=288)
3.82%
47.57%
6.60%
11.11%
Grade You Believe that Your School
Deserved
A
All
27.0%
respondent
s (N=266)
B
C
D
50.3%
17.6% 4.5%
E
F
0.3%
0.0%
Growth vs Proficiency
The Best 100% 20%
Measure Prof Grow
, 80%
Prof
40%
Grow,
80%
Prof
50%
Grow,
50%
Prof
60%
Grow,
40%
Prof
80% 100%
Grow, Grow
20%
Prof
All
1.4% 1.8%
respond
ents
(N=274)
7.3%
33.9% 20.8% 24.4% 10.2%
Effects of Grading Schools on Key
Groups
Strongly Negative No
Negative
Effect
9.96%
49.82%
34.07%
Positive Strongly
Positive
8.42%
0.73%
On the
Students
1.4%
15.2%
80.4%
2.1%
0.7%
On the
Parents
5.0%
46.3%
28.7%
10.7%
1.4%
On the
Teachers
and Staff
Effect the School’s Grade had on How the
School is Viewed by the Larger
Community
Strongly Negative No Effect Positive Strongly
Negative
Positive
All
9.2%
respon
dents
N=271
49.8%
28.7%
10.7%
1.4%
Predicted Effect on Enrollment at
the School
All
respondents
(N=275)
Strongly Negative No
Negative
Effect
Positive Strongly
Positive
3.27%
7.64%
30.55%
57.45%
1.09%
Predicted Effect on the
Recruitment of Teachers
Strongly Negative No
Negative
Effect
All
6.5%
respondents
(N=275)
35.2%
49.0%
Positive Strongly
Positive
8.0%
1.0%
Do you Agree with the Policy of
Assigning Letter Grades to
Schools?
Strongly Disagree Neither Agree
Disagree
Agree
nor
Disagree
All
58.0%
respondents
(N=281)
27.4%
9.2%
4.9%
Strongly
Agree
0.3%
Grading Schools?
•Should we grade schools?
•If so, what criteria?
What Other Criteria should be used when
Grading schools? (188 responses)
• Anything
other than just standardized tests! What about student
involvement in after school activities/clubs, parent support,
teacher retention rates, etc.....
• Discipline goals
like OSS numbers; mClass data
• Individual teacher performance;
all subjects taught like PE,
Art, Music, but those subjects weighted; FR lunch population;
Title I services
• Parent/student satisfaction surveys,
learning
• Overall
school atmosphere
Opportunities for extended
Benefits of Assigning a Letter
Grade (227 responses)
• None – (120)
• Easy to understand (25) “It is an easy way to create a
"snapshot" of a school.”
• Accountability (16) “Increased accountability for learning can
be a positive result of this measure.”
• Might Spur Progress (9) “A letter grade could possibly be a
catalyst for change within a school.”
• Political value (6) “Politicians can say they are increasing the
accountability of our schools”
Limitations of Assigning a Letter
Grade (229 responses)
An inaccurate/oversimplified measure (81)
• “It is difficult to capture all that a school does for
students and the communities they serve with a grade.”
• “It boxes a complex system of teaching and learning into
a pedestrian oversimplification.”
• “It doesn't give a true reflection of the hard work and
growth of the students and staff.”
• “It is impossible to distill a school down into a letter
grade.”
• “This policy reduces the important work we do every day
to a sound bite or a marketing ploy.”
• “A grade assigned based on testing does not take into
account any other positive things going on in the
school.”
Limitations of Assigning a Letter
Grade (229 responses)
Grade is simply a measure of poverty levels (21)
“The grades are essentially based on socio-economic levels.”
“Schools with high poverty and low proficiencies continue to be
demoralized and degraded when often they need to be lifted up
and recognized the most for their growth and efforts with
students.”
Morale/Stress (15) “It just doesn't tell the whole story of a
school and can significantly affect teacher morale in a negative
way.”
Gives community a negative view of schools (28) “The public
perception and lack of knowledge results in a negative
reputation. The report card grades do not reflect the qualitative
data about a school.”
“This will have a negative impact on the local economy,
housing, and perception by the general public about their local
schools “
Limitations of Assigning a Letter
Grade (229 responses)
Not enough emphasis on growth (20)
• “It creates a negative image when a school is actually
meeting growth targets.”
• “We celebrate the growth they have made but the
public only sees the F.”
• “The entire process is flawed. Growth, which is the true
measure of teaching and learning, is minimized.”
• “This formula is particularly troubling because so little
emphasis is placed on growth. Teachers/admins/schools
can only control what happens when the students
enters the building on day one. If you want to evaluate
how a school has done, look at where the students
started on day one and where they finished on day 180.”
Another Approach to Reform: Create
a Culture that Supports Collaboration
& Innovation
• Change the view that public schools are failing and the
solution is with charter schools and vouchers
• Recognize the limits of Accountability to foster reform –
driving our system for 15 years with NCLB
• Create expectations that public schools can innovate
• Provide incentives, review & support eg waive state
level/federal accountability for 2 years
Learn from What We Know
Works
• NC is a leader with Early College High Schools
• Small Learning Communities work -create success
for underrepresented students
• AVID programs work
• Students are well known, mentor who cares, taught
“success skills”
• These “structures” should be in place for all students
in high school
Create Learning Networks
• Student, teacher and school learning
• Support the creation of good schools – not a mystery and
should not be up to each school and district to figure this
out
• NCDPI should provide the research and models
• Accountability fosters competition. Put time and resources
into supporting Collaboration.
• PLC’s for Teacher Learning. What for School Learning?
• Schools should be part of networks eg Improving Biology
EOC is not an individual school goal
Resources
• Linda Darling Hammond “The Flat World and
Education” Chapter 8, Organizing for Success
• Pasi Sahlberg, What Can the World Learn from
Educational Change in Finland