The coup against the Turkish president this week has raised the profile of U.S. charter schools. What? Really?
Author Archive: Sue Legg
Florida School Grades: Fewer ‘F’ Schools. WHY?
Miami-Dade has half the number of schools rated ‘F’ this year than last. No, they did not give kids extra vitamins. The State of Florida changed the definition of learning gains.
I think I like the change even if I do not the idea of test based accountability. Here’s why.
- The formula is much simpler. The old system penalized schools by lowering school grades for failing to make arbitrary targets, and it gave bonus points that were easy to manipulate.
- The system is somewhat less punitive. Now school grades are based on the percentage of students making learning gains. In the past, an at risk child’s increase in achievement might not have shown up in school grades because their gain was less than the state required. So, students who started school behind were making progress that did not count.
The new grading system has subdivided the two lowest proficiency levels. Level one scores are grouped in low, medium and high. Level two is divided into low and high. A child who scores at the same level but improves in the subcategory, from low to medium, for example, is counted as having made a learning gain. The net effect reduces the number of failing schools.
Students scoring at or above proficiency level three must increase their test scores by at least one point the following year to be counted as a learning gain (unless they are already at a proficiency level of ‘5’). The new school grade formula no longer provides bonus points. There are now fewer schools with ‘A’ grades.
It may still seem like smoke and mirrors. Achievement did not change, but the school grades did. It reminds me of the marks on the wall I used to make as my children grew. Most years the growth from one year to the next was about the same. Once in awhile there would be a growth spurt. The same was true for their achievement. I did not need to measure the kids except to see if they met the height requirement at Disney attractions or were they ready for some accelerated academic program.
Annual testing tells us what we already know. If you want to increase the school grades, change the formula. There has to be a better way.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article89947977.html
http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5637/urlt/AccoReportTechMeeting2016.pdf
Charters are Lopsided in Whom They Serve
Hernando and Hillsborough charters have the lowest ratios of low income and minority students. In Pasco county, 58.2% of students in traditional public schools qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch while only 36.2% of charter students qualify. Charters in high income areas do well academically, charters with higher percentages of low income students receive lower school grades. This is not a surprise. Income and academic achievement are known to go together. What is of concern John Romano columnist for the Tampa Bay Times article is:
Democratic Education Platform: Too Good to be True?
It is an election year. Which way is the wind blowing? Judging by the rift over the Democratic Party Platform, testing, accountability, and charter school management could see significant changes….or not.
The draft platform opposed for-profit charter schools. The amended platform added even many more changes:
FBI Raids Okaloosa Charter
The FBI raided the Okaloosa charter school for at risk children yesterday. The school is managed by The Radar Group based in Florida’s panhandle. This is the same area where the Newpoint charter schools were recently indicted. The Radar Group has other charters. We may learn more about what happened.
No one is talking about the reasons for the raid. It can’t be good.
In the last post, I shared the Florida Auditor General’s concerns about some charter schools. They may have missed at least one. Many times the League has asked for better management, transparency and oversight of charter schools. These schools are not innovative, they are just free to manipulate.
Charter School Audits: Not Good News
How many struggling charters are too many? The latest Florida Auditor General report is out. It cites 92 (15%) out of 652 charters for general fund/unrestricted fund deficits. In other words, they are spending more than they are taking in. Six charters are in such bad financial shape, the report questions their ability to continue to operate. When these audit reports come out, letters get sent and promises to do better are made until charters cannot pay their bills.
How many charters have failed in your district?
POW! The League Says It Like It Is
by Pat Hall
One of the most insidious parts of the charter movement is self dealing. Many people are not aware of the millions of dollars charter management companies rake off the top in fees and real estate. The Hillsborough League of Women Voters has been gathering data on Charter School USA profits. The League is incensed. Some states regulate profiteering; Florida does not.
Read Pat Hall’s article that appeared today in the Tampa Bay Times. When I read it, I said: POW!
Are Duval County Charters Failing?
Duval County has 35 charter schools serving nearly 20,000 students. Superintendent Vitti said charters bring down district average scores on state assessments. In the Florida Times Union article, Vitti said “I do want to raise a concern about charter school performance”.
There is more to this story.
Detroit: Lots of choice, but no good choice
The New York Times ran a story about Detroit. The city is recovering from bankruptcy, but school choice has bankrupted its schools. The story is told in human terms. Your learn about a family trying to find a good fit for its four children. They move from charter to charter, full of disappointment as hopes are dashed. They are besieged by hype and gifts for recruiting, but the realities of too many schools from which to choose means that no school is very good. This is a cautionary tale. Detroit has the lowest achieving children in the nation. Ten percent of its children graduate at ‘college ready’.
Michigan has less charter regulation than Florida. Charters proliferate whether or not they succeed academically. Eighty percent of its charters are run by for-profit companies. The fight with each other to get students. By last winter, Detroit schools were bankrupt. The legislature agreed to help, but it refused to support regulations to manage charter growth.
Teacher Bonuses Challenge Under Review
Florida’s Best and Brightest teacher bonus program is under review by a federal agency. The Florida Education Association filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last December. In the complaint, the FEA argued that the program discriminated against teachers whose ACT or SAT tests, on which the bonuses are based, are unfairly excluded. Teachers who sat the SAT or ACT before 1973 have no qualified scores. These teachers are referred to DOE guidelines which seem to be strangely absent on the FDOE website. According to the Naples News article today, a decision by the EEOC has not been reached, but the complaint is still under review. If the EEOC finds reason to proceed with the complaint, the FEA will file a lawsuit.