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Springfield schools showing growth by new measure
Comment: What do you think of the Ohio Department of Education using Springfield City Schools as a model for student growth?
Monday, December 10, 2007
SPRINGFIELD — The Ohio Department of Education is using Springfield City Schools as a model to show how its new value-added assessment shows significant student growth in districts once thought to be struggling to educate students.
Value-added measures learning growth a student achieves in a year.
Extras
Backers of the method say that instead of students being graded against others across the state who are in different social, economical and physical situations, they are graded against themselves based on previous state achievement test scores.
District superintendent Jean Harper, board member Don Reed and director of elementary academic services Dona Starrett, presented data that showed learning gains from Springfield students at an ODE conference in Columbus last week .
Using the value added assessment, Springfield ranks 46th out of 612 school districts in the state in its ability to educate students, Starrett said.
Harper said this proves the district is making progress.
"It recognizes the extraordinarily hard work of our teachers, students and parents," she said.
On this year's state report card, Springfield made progress in 15 of the 30 state achievement tests spanning grades 3 through 11 compared to the previous school year.
Value-added eliminates social and economic factors districts often use to explain why they can't earn better state rankings.
It will replace the performance index score on next year's state report card.
"(Value-added) actually gives credit where credit is due," Starrett said.
Springfield City Schools has one of the highest poverty rates in the state at 67 percent. It was ranked in academic watch for the fourth straight year in August — the lowest in Clark County.
Starrett said the value-added assessment will likely put the district into the continuous improvement category next year and maybe even vault it into effective.
"We are going to have to wait and see," Starrett said. "But if we make the gains this year that we did last year, we could be ranked effective."
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373 or lsullivan@coxohio.com
Comments
By Jerry Hamilton
December 16, 2007 10:34 AM | Link to this
In my school days an adage was taught to me “Figures don’t lie but liars figure”. This seems to fit that well. Don’t like being 601 out of 614 districts - just juggle the formula and POOF we’re 46th. This formula will surely will follow these kids into the employment offices of corporate America when seek jobs - after all they are tops based on their socio-economic classification.
By EducatedCitizen
December 11, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this
Value-Added simply means comparing a student’s test score to their own score from one year prior to see if they made one school-year’s progress in one school year. This is the type of assessment that MANY places have already switched to as it provides more student AND teacher accountability — you can tell directly from the scores if students are making progress, and which teachers are successfully getting throught to the kids. How could that be bad? People are just too resistant to change.
By Chuck
December 11, 2007 7:28 AM | Link to this
Value added kinda sounds like Super Sizing at McDonalds, all you really get is more FAT. Yes the kids are suffering, the future of our Country is suffering, all because a bunch of FAT lazy, union controled, GOVERNMENT schools have forgotten how to educate.
Private schools do not have these problems, most of these schools produce students who actually graduate and have a high rate 90% or more who go on to college and do well in life, unlike our GOVERNMENT schools….
By AmandaF
December 10, 2007 9:36 PM | Link to this
ok you should get the same education no matter what your background. They will only further the gap this way.
By Resident
December 10, 2007 5:05 PM | Link to this
Mike, you have no clue what I do for a living. You would be suprised at what I have to see and deal with at work everyday. I have one of the biggest hearts you’ll ever see. It’s the bleeding hearts like yours that people take advantage of.
By Ricardo
December 10, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this
Yet another dumb down move by educators to preserve the fallacy that they are effectively teaching their students to meet the rigors of either higher education or the reality of the work place. The extent of poverty should have no bearing on one’s ability for educational achievement. Value added is an opiate for educators and impinges on the dire need for improvements in our ability to prepare our children to function in the real world. We are being “Harperized.”
By bc
December 10, 2007 1:43 PM | Link to this
I’m with Mike on this. Where is your Heart? The kids are suffering here. The world is not a fair place. Social and Economic factors are a big issue here. I think the schools need our support and encouragement, not negative critism.
By John Harris
December 10, 2007 1:11 PM | Link to this
I don’t know what has happened to the Springfield schools but the kids are not learning. I have never seen so much effort into trying to twist the facts. The kids are NOT learning. It is not all the schools fault. The parents are the biggest offenders. But the administration should at least be strong enough to tell the truth.
By Jane Doe
December 10, 2007 1:08 PM | Link to this
I’m not saying that the school is completely absolved of all blame but if parents aren’t willing (in some cases even able) to be involved in their child’s education how is that the school district’s fault. There is 24-29 students in some classes with one teacher. How is that being productive when one or even two students need one on one attention?
By John Harris
December 10, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this
The only thing I see is trying to spin things to give a positive appearance. It is simple reading writing and arithmatic. Point blank either the kids can or cannot. No matter who you compare them too. I’ve seen this concept before. The child graduates thinking he is academically prepared only to get to college, if he gets that far, to find out he needs a lot of remedial help.
A couple of years ago the school board changed the grade scale to allow 60 to become passing.
By Jane Doe
December 10, 2007 1:03 PM | Link to this
Comparing students to themselves? That is really strange. Do they count the students that do worse or just the ones that improve. Instead of blaming the school system in Springfield maybe it’s about time that the blame is placed where it really belongs: with the parents. I understand that some parents have trouble for whatever reason, but the help is out there if someone is willing to look for it. If not then that is not the school’s fault.
By Mike
December 10, 2007 11:30 AM | Link to this
Resident: Have you ever had to teach an 8 year old who just watched his mother get beaten by his father? Have you ever had to teach a middle schooler who hasn’t eaten a meal since the last school provided meal three days ago? Have you ever had to teach a high schooler whose been forced to take on a full time job to raise her little brother and sister because her mom is a crack addict? WHEN you do, then tell me that what a “load of crap” social and economic factors are. Where is your heart?
By Mike
December 10, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
To Reader: Have you ever had to teach an 8 year old who just watched his mother get beaten by his father? Have you ever had to teach a middle schooler who hasn’t eaten a meal since the last school provided meal three days ago? Have you ever had to teach a high schooler whose been forced to take on a full time job to raise her little brother and sister because her mom is a crack addict? WHEN you do, then tell me that what a “load of crap” social and economic factors are. Where is your heart?
By Resident
December 10, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this
OK yea whatever here come the excuses or the “Answers”, big turn around, amazing. What a load of crap, social and economic factors. I am so tired of this stuff in the world today. The fact of the matter is the district is not as good now compared to the way it was. No excuses take the blame don’t put it on social or economic factors. However why not, nobody else is held responsible for their actions, it’s worth a try. HARPER YOU STINK…