Letter: Traditional public schools commended

Traditional public school systems across the state are to be commended for their efforts regarding the release of district performance scores/letter grades that reflect unprecedented growth in student achievement.

All stakeholders involved with public school systems should be complimented for their dedication and hard work aimed at providing a quality educational experience to our youth. Elected school boards, superintendents, administrators, teachers, support personnel, community partners, parents and students deserve a moment of praise and gratitude for their untiring efforts to improve — despite the many negative attacks on traditional public education systems.

School boards across the state have risen to the challenge of ensuring quality educational services under financial duress because of reductions in state funding streams. Moreover, traditional public school systems have exhibited exemplary growth while embracing increased standards and poorly written legislation under the guise of “education reform.”

Further, public school systems have stayed the course and remained focused on student achievement rather than dwelling on the undue criticism directed at them during the most recent legislative session.

The great strides in achievement would not be possible if it were not for numerous dedicated, formally trained professional educators at all levels in our public school systems. Too often we take for granted the countless hours our administrators, teachers and support employees spend with our children without taking a moment to say, “Job well done.”

In closing, even the best elected school board members, superintendents, administrators, teachers and school support workers fully realize that they cannot be satisfied with the status quo — and, must strive toward a path of continuous improvement to help all students attain a quality education. However, given the exceptional growth evidenced recently, a moment of gratitude is warranted for all who work to make public education better in Louisiana.

Scott M. Richard, executive director

Louisiana School Boards Association

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by WhoCares - 11/11/2012

I hate when people use "in closing" in their conclusions. Amateur.

2) Comment by bourbon-soda - 09/11/2012

If your certainty is equal to mind, then you are a skeptic. This is just a competition of manipulators gaming the system or hogs competing for a position at the tax trough. When the state has students take NAEP instead of home brew tests and there is some plausible change, let me know.

3) Comment by 1ryben - 09/11/2012

Oh, and I do agree with the author of the article when he states that a big jump in scores is unusual, that incremental growth is the norm. Let's see how LDOE/BESE brags about any growth shown by their voucher babies. I still don't see how grade inflation (which is a way to state that the teachers are too easy) is to blame. Kids take an end of course exam in order to receive credit for the class. My understanding is that individual class letter grades are not part of the score.

4) Comment by 1ryben - 09/11/2012

Sorry for the double post.

5) Comment by 1ryben - 09/11/2012

Educate Now! Is a "non-profit" advocating charter schools and private takeover of public schools. Leslie Jacobs is a former bank executive, not an educator. That being said, my certainty is just as certain as yours...fair enough? I look at incentives to help me gauge the validity of these releases. Sure Mr. Richard wants to brag about the gains in public education, he represents Louisiana school boards. Education Now! wants to downplay these accomplishments in order to further their agenda. So the truth may be in the middle, except that these figures come from neither party. They are from the LDOE and BESE who are trying to turn over public schools (well, at least the public money) to private industry. They set the grading scale, they have the chance to skew the data to suit their agenda. They tried, they changed the grading scale to make it more difficult before the 2011-2012 school year. Keeping the scores low now, before the "reforms" take place would have benefitted them greater than skewing the results positive. Yet, the teachers, administrators, and school districts largely met the challenge and the Governor remained silent...well, not silent, he was talking, just to other states about voting Romney. Why the refusal to give credit where credit is due?

6) Comment by 1ryben - 09/11/2012

Educate Now! Is a "non-profit" advocating charter schools and private takeover of public schools. Leslie Jacobs is a former bank executive, not an educator. That being said, my certainty is just as certain as yours...fair enough? I look at incentives to help me gauge the validity of these releases. Sure Mr. Richard wants to brag about the gains in public education, he represents Louisiana school boards. Education Now! wants to downplay these accomplishments in order to further their agenda. So the truth may be in the middle, except that these figures come from neither party. They are from the LDOE and BESE who are trying to turn over public schools (well, at least the public money) to private industry. They set the grading scale, they have the chance to skew the data to suit their agenda. They tried, they changed the grading scale to make it more difficult before the 2011-2012 school year. Keeping the scores low now, before the "reforms" take place would have benefitted them greater than skewing the results positive. Yet, the teachers, administrators, and school districts largely met the challenge and the Governor remained silent...well, not silent, he was talking, just to other states about voting Romney. Why the refusal to give credit where credit is due?

7) Comment by bourbon-soda - 09/11/2012

@tryben - I am not sure your certainty is warranted. I was referring to "Leslie Jacobs, head of the nonprofit Educate Now! in New Orleans, said the higher test scores for high schools suggested a bit of 'grade inflation'," from the _Advocate_ piece cited below. The author of the article itself was correct in saying "a big jump in scores is unusual, particularly since the rule is that one usually sees only incremental gains in public education:..." Probably less reliable, my own memory of publicly released information about education in Louisiana is unremitting evidence of supposed progress punctuated by periodic hangovers of reality in all rigorously normed appraisals of student performance, which is supposed to be the product. The null hypothesis - no significant improvement in student achievement - cannot be rejected based on current information.

8) Comment by 1ryben - 09/11/2012

Sorry bourbon-soda this can not be attributed in any way to grade inflation and maipulation. If anything, if Jindal and his gang wanted to ensure their reforms, corporate take over of public schools and disregard of the democratic process they would've manipulated the data to show losses instead of gains. See, these improvements are actually proof that LOCAL boards are doing a good job. That teachers ARE doing what they are called to. These often demonized groups are responsible for this growth in student achievement. To claim otherwise is incorrect and ignorant.

9) Comment by civitasiveritas - 09/11/2012

There were comments from the Master of Ceremonies, Governor Jindal. They were merely uttered through his puppet, John White. And processed through the myriad spinners paid for out of tax dollars that were supposed to go to students. The $12,000 a month contract lady from Florida. The (cough) $150,000 spinner that goes by the name of "Lefty" when doing whatever it is he is supposed to be doing... and by the "Spokesman" for the Department of Education. heck, they have so many spinner they could probably levitate... but then, if you cut the strings off these puppets, they would all fail miserably to even earn a basic living. They need the puppet-masters, who need their puppets. WHITE LIES.

10) Comment by simbatigercat - 09/11/2012

Thank you Mr. Richard. Public schools have worked for a couple hundred years in America. This chartering, privatization, religisizing, and turning them over to for-profits has shown no positive ability to improve them, only to exclude children they don't want and remove job protection that teachers need in order to speak out and be creative in how they do their work.

11) Comment by bourbon-soda - 09/11/2012

Maybe because he's not sure this isn't the result of grade inflation ( http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/4346722-123/our-views-a-new-high ) or manipulation of the letter grade standards.

12) Comment by spqr - 09/11/2012

I do not recall any kind words from Piyush Jindal on this improvement. I wonder why?