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Superintendent Douglas’ Take on Grading Schools SB 271

How do you measure the success of a school? The question is complex and requires careful consideration of dozens of variables. In fact, in my opinion the more evidence brought to the table, the more accurate the measure of success will be.

A few months ago, when the Utah Comprehensive Accountability System (UCAS) rated and ranked schools in Utah using 2011-12 assessment data, Sevier School District schools were ranked among the most successful in the state. North Sevier, Richfield and South Sevier High Schools ranked in the top twelve. (see http://www.deseretnews.com/top/1610/0/The-top-50-high-schools-in-Utah-according-to-the-Utah-Comprehensive-Accountability-System.html). Shortly after the rankings were released, a good friend of mine who lives in another county contacted me and asked if his school was ineffective because it didn’t make the list. He questioned whether he should move his family to Sevier County or another area so that his children could attend one of the schools listed toward the top of the list. I quickly reminded him that while data is an important indicator of the success of any school, it is not the only indicator of success.

The two most important goals of any education system should be the safety and success of its students. Assessment plays a key role in helping schools determine their effectiveness. Growth and learning are obvious expectations that schools should embrace and constantly strive to achieve. We owe it to students, parents, community members and society to strive for educational progress.

It is important to recognize many of the other often-unmeasured components of the public education system. For example, the enduring relationships that develop with students, teachers, coaches, advisors, and administrators. So many of the good influences in each of our lives can be attributed to our teachers. Other examples of often-unmeasured positive student influences are things like extracurricular activities as well as soft skills such as communication, language, personal habits, dedication, ability to work with others, work-ethic, friendliness, social graces, optimism, citizenship, and honesty just to name a few.

On September 3, 2013, the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) released the first-ever school grades in compliance with a new law enacted by the Utah Legislature in 2011. As Superintendent of Sevier School District, I am very proud of our schools and the successes they have achieved. Sevier had two schools achieve “A” grades, six schools with “B” grades, and two schools with “C” grades. You may look up how any school was graded according to the 2012-13 end-of-year Criterion Reference Tests (CRT) here: https://psdreports.schools.utah.gov/Gateway.

The 2012-13 Utah Comprehensive Accountability System (UCAS) scores will be released on September 30, 2013. The most notable difference between the UCAS system and the grading schools system is that UCAS provides point totals and includes other student demographics rather than assigning a letter grade. This past year is the final year that Utah will use CRT tests to measure student achievement. Starting next year, the state will begin using a new assessment system (see http://www.schools.utah.gov/assessment/Adaptive-Assessment-System.aspx).

How do you measure the success of a school? Part of the answer can be found in student outcome achievement data. However, the true solution is found in asking more questions and finding applicable answers about how we can consistently strive for improvement together.