A needed change in school ratings

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September 10, 2009

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Thu Sep 10, 2009, 02:29 PM EDT

THE ISSUE: A new way of evaluating schools.

OUR VIEW: Such an approach will be good for schools and students.

Gov. Mitch Daniels last week embraced the possibility of education reform that focuses on student achievement rather than forcing every student to meet a single standard.

That’s great news.

Local school administrators have been saying for some time that the current system fails to measure up to the federal goal of leaving no child behind. Instead, by focusing strictly on how many students pass the standardized test and how many fail, the current ratings encourage school corporations to focus primarily on those students just on the edge of passing the last round of tests.

The new approach would require schools to focus on every student. Schools would be rewarded for students who did better on the test, even if they fell short of passing. They would not be rewarded when students performed worse, even if they passed.

This approach makes sense, allowing schools to focus on encouraging every student to perform to the best of his or her ability.

This would eliminate the problem local schools encounter in teaching students with special needs. Those students now have their test performance judged using the same standards used for every other student.

The new approach will open up whole new horizons for Indiana schools. It will allow them to be judged based on what they’re supposed to be doing. Teaching.

They won’t be focused on just a few students at risk of failure. They’ll be focused on helping each and every child to achieve his or her potential.

Every child will have a chance at success. And what could be better than that?

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