Something important is happening in Boston Schools

Saturday night, a Boston Schools parent told the story about how BPS administration was blocking kids from enrolling in 2 schools--the topic of this post. The next day, Sunday, Boston Globe writes this story, 26 Boston schools at risk of being declared ‘underperforming’ in which the first source they cite is Superintendent Chang.

"many schools need more attention and resources in order to thrive," representing about 23% of students in BPS or 12,000 of 53,000.

By James Vaznis Globe Staff September 18, 2017

More than two dozen schools in Boston with low standardized test scores are at risk of being declared “underperforming” by the state, an action that can lead to the removal of principals and teachers, according to a School Department analysis.

The 26 schools are spread across nearly every neighborhood, from East Boston to West Roxbury. Officials are expected to learn the fate of each school when the state releases the latest round of MCAS data at the end of October.

If the state orders any of the schools to overhaul their programs, they would have three years to boost student performance or they could face a state takeover. Nine of Boston’s 125 schools are already designated as underperforming, while two others are in receivership

snip

.. [Superintendent Chang's] analysis flagged 11 schools for being at the greatest risk of being declared under performing because their MCAS scores rank very low in comparison to other schools statewide.

One of those schools is Roxbury’s Mendell Elementary School, which has been increasingly popular with parents and students.

Some parents said the data do not jibe with their experience, noting the school has expanded its arts programs and introduced robotics and it educates students with disabilities alongside other classmates in traditional classrooms.

Many former Mendell students are now landing spots at the city’s prestigious exam schools.

The Blackstone is also a case where loss of funding and slide in test scores puts it at risk for turnaround status and that would arguably be counter productive. What they need is the resources they lost to provide the interventions that help the students.

McKinley Schools for special ed are flagged as under performing. Walsh and Chang cut per student funding for kids with these designations significantly in FY16-17 budget.

Urban Science Academy is flagged as underperforming. This I don't understand. They outscore the district average in ELA.

Did Super Chang's analysis look at the populations of those schools so we know what kind of resources we need to provide for those kids to be successful? I ask because Marty Walsh's BPS turnaround effort at Mattahunt failed badly.

In the video below you'll hear a parent talk about her experience with that turnaround. She's disappointed and she's clear on why. the panel discussion on turnarounds includes BPS students, teachers and parents. Take note of the BPS math teacher who reverse engineered how the MCAS score is calculated. It is important because it's likely that growth is more significant for ELL than grade-level ability and growth is not weighted as you might expect. In addition schools quality is more than test scores though that is the narrow lens we use to measure the success or failure of a school.
[youtube]KbErK6rLQAY[/youtube]

BostonGlobe:

More than two dozen Boston schools with low standardized test scores are at risk of being declared “underperforming" https://t.co/tE6fQb6clz pic.twitter.com/Y2Ot8CIaEx

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) September 18, 2017