The Oklahoma State Board of Education is expected to sign off on new school report cards at its Thursday meeting.
School report cards were last issued for the 2015–2016 school year. The new rubric, developed through the work of a task force and input from educators and national experts, is more nuanced and based on more data.
"There was a scarlet letter and a focus on the single indicator of a school. And that is gone. That is not telling the story in context of the important work that schools are doing with students," said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.
Academic achievement based on state test results still account for a significant chunk of school grades. Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, however, points are now mostly based on whether students meet state testing targets for a single, federally defined group they belong to.
So, a child with a disability would be considered a special education student rather than potentially white, economically disadvantaged and special education students.
"There is an appreciation for not double and triple counting students, not looking only at a test score but instead measuring growth," Hofmeister said.
Hofmeister said the change will let schools focus resources on student groups that need more help.
Schools can receive up to 90 points under the new grading system. Elementary and middle schools can get up to 35 points for academic achievement, 30 for academic growth, 15 for English Language Proficiency Act progress and 10 for the percentage of students not chronically absent.
High schools can get up to 45 points for academic achievement, 10 for the percentage of students graduating in four or five years, 15 for ELPA progress, 10 for the percentage of juniors and seniors completing postsecondary opportunities like Advanced Placement or career tech courses, and 10 for the percentage of students not chronically absent.
Schools will have their possible points reduced if they are not participating in a program tied to an indicator. For example, a school without English-learning students would not receive 0 points for ELPA progress. Instead, it would be graded on 75 possible points.
There will be fewer F's given out under the new grading system. Only the bottom 5 percent of schools will get them, because under ESSA, states’ lowest-ranking schools based on their grading system qualify for additional federal funds.
"Instead of taking those and spreading them over nearly 300 schools as was done in the past — we felt that was very, very imprudent and would not provide the kind of sustained momentum that we want our schools to … achieve with those funds," Hofmeister said.
Likewise, only the top 5 percent of schools will receive A's. Hofmeister said the letter grades are less important now, however, and encourages parents and educators to look at the data behind them.
