All I Ask is Consistency

Things that drive me mad:

At the end of the term, APOLO students have made great strides, though test scores might not always reflect it. Von’s explanation provided valuable context for this reality. For students who go to APOLO in grades 11 or 12—or at age 19 or 20—on-time graduation might not be feasible, and the road ahead might be longer, affecting the school’s performance data.

Additionally, with a small student body (maximum 75 students), each student’s performance significantly affects the school’s annual performance numbers.

These are sound, valid reasons why test scores might not be representative of the actual performance of a school.

Rewind three years, to when the Freedom Foundation had their brief flirtation with school report cards:

These School Report Cards offer overall ratings on a scale of zero to 10, trend analysis, demographic information, and statewide rankings for 780 public middle schools and high schools. Each Report Card takes WASL data and makes it understandable to the public. Comparison features allow parents to see how their school’s performance stacks up against other schools in the state.

“The statewide ranking system can be controversial, but it is priceless in propelling effective reform,” said Peter Cowley, developer of the School Report Card model at the Vancouver, B.C.-based Fraser Institute. Fraser has 10 years of experience producing these report cards across Canada and tracking the reform they produce.

If test scores are going to count for the brick-and-mortar schools, but not really count for the blended/on-line/alternative programs, remind me again of who is guilty of the soft bigotry of low expectations?