Indiana's system of grading school performance needs to be reevaluated. That's the assessment of Lafayette School Corporation Superintendent Les Huddle. He says the way the current A to F system is set up leaves a lot of room for interpretation and confusion.
Huddle thinks the Growth Model is a good attempt, but he believes there are some ways to adjust that in the future.
“It seems like we’re reestablishing a target almost annually that the teachers have to work towards and the students have to work towards.”
He thinks the current model doesn't necessarily give a fair representation of how the schools are doing.
“Right now, we have some students who perform well one year and the next year, but they or the school might be dinged, because those students didn’t show enough growth. Yet, to go from an A to an A doesn’t mean you’re a bad student.”
Currently, schools earn an A through F grade depending on how students perform on the I-STEP and other standardized tests.
Huddle thinks Superintendent of Public Instruction-elect Glenda Ritz will make adjustments to the system.
“I believe Glenda is going to take a little bit different approach. Hopefully work with school corporations and our legislators, and get everyone to talk with each other and come up with some adjustments that will improve our A through F system.”
Huddle says despite some of the issues with the system, he is pleased with how LSC performed. Six of the district's ten schools received an A grade and only one saw its mark fall from the previous year.
Statewide, 61% of schools earned either an A or B.
