Article written by Superintendent Tanya Larkin:
I have been asked by many parents, teachers, and community members, “What’s going to happen with the legislators this year?” Before I respond, I take a deep breath and begin to discuss issues like school funding, accountability, and the ongoing issues with the STAAR and End of Course assessments. There are likely going to be several discussions as the Legislative Session begins in January, but today I feel compelled to focus on one very important issue: A-F Accountability.
As a Superintendent of schools, I have multiple conversations with other school leaders all over the state numerous times a month. It is rare that we ALL agree on everything because we are all looking out for the individual needs and interests of our respective school districts.---as we should. Interestingly, when asked about the new A-F Accountability Rating system however, all school leaders respond in harmony with a collective concern for many reasons.
The A-F plan is attempting to reduce the multi-faceted educational system to one letter grade. Although legislators claim that the intent of this system is to simplify information for parents; it is beginning to look more like a political tactic. Allow me to give you a little background. The A-F Accountability system was part of HB2804 that was passed in the 84th Legislative session two years ago. And yet, school officials were provided a two-page list of indicators that will be used to determine the A-F ratings only about ten days ago. We are still awaiting the methodology and explicit break-down of indicators and their values in the calculation of letter ratings. We are scheduled to receive the ratings the first week of January, but only after the legislators have viewed them first. The ratings are scheduled to be released to the public just two days after school leaders will learn of outcomes. This makes it impossible for us to adequately communicate with our local stakeholders.
Of course, the ratings “don’t count” this year for accountability purposes, but once they are released, no one will pay attention to the facts. I predict that most people in the state will only focus on the letter ratings and make assumptions very quickly. It is no accident that this preliminary published rating system is being “released” on the eve of the 85th legislative session. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has made his agenda clear to the state in that he is dedicated to seeing a privatized movement take place this session. He would like to see public funds used to provide students with privatized education. All of this of course is under the veil of “school choice.”
Don’t get me wrong; I have no issues with accountability. I strongly believe in the importance of holding everyone accountable for their work, their progress, and their performance. This is a fundamental necessity for human growth and development. However, I am opposed to political pundits using public schools to advance their own private agendas. Another aspect of the A-F letter accountability system that will be underplayed by those who support it is the fact that the ratings will likely be highly reflective of the level of poverty present in the schools and will no doubt highlight the barriers of students learning a new language. Again, educating students is a complex task and one that must be approached with strong systems to ensure quality. However, the systems must ensure that individual needs of students are met daily and therein lies the issue. This new A-F system is oversimplifying the complex and personal systems that make up our public schools.
John Tanner, executive director of Test Sense and author of The Pitfalls of Reform summed it up best when he recently wrote the following in a publication for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA).
“Labeling schools, and by extension, the communities that surround them, does nothing to improve them and will cause many to be labeled as failures. The A-F school rating system will do little more than exacerbate the false narrative that Texas public schools are failing. In addition, an A-F rating system misrepresents a large portion of what is actually happening in schools. Based heavily on standardized test scores, A-F school rating systems tend to assign grades in which the socioeconomic status of the school is the single best predictor of the grade, ignoring the efforts being made in some of the most challenged educational environments. In the end, A-F school ratings fail to offer the public useful or accurate information about their schools. “The reduction of a school to a single grade has the tendency to color the judgments and subsequent actions of the entire school, even though each school is a diverse place with the need to serve all students. Reducing a school to a single grade has the predictable effect of telling a school with a good grade that all is well and telling a school with a bad grade that all must change, even though neither can ever be accurate.”
Regardless of the ratings and the actions of the legislators, Pampa ISD will continue to serve students and families every day with a focus on our mission and a profound understanding of our local values. Our students are more than one test on one day. Our mission is to produce learners who are compassionate, competent, confident, and future-ready! The reality of this mission makes it clear that this future will look different for each child---as it should. The work our teachers do every day and the relationships they build cannot be oversimplified and be given a letter grade. We thank you for your continued support of our Pampa public schools and for our students, families, and staff. Below is a link for more information about the A-F rating system. Of course, we will share more information as it unfolds in the coming weeks. From our families to yours: Pampa ISD wishes you a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
http://www.tasanet.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=925
Published on 12/18/2016
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