- A tiered approach
- D.C.’s Paul Public Charter School under investigation for testing violation [Paul PCS mentioned]
- National Collegiate Prep Boasts Perfect Graduation Rate [National Collegiate Prep PCS mentioned]
A tiered approach
The Northwest Current
By Davis Kennedy and Chris Kain
November 19, 2014
The D.C. Public Charter School Board recently released its annual school ratings list, which places each of the programs under the board’s purview within one of three tiers. While the full value of a school surely cannot be contained within a single number, we nevertheless appreciate the information these rankings provide.
Under a system in place for four years now, the board assesses factors including students’ college preparation and improvements in math and reading to calculate a school’s score, determining a percentile for each. All charter schools but five this year scored within the top two tiers, earning tallies between 35 percent and 100 percent; 22 fell in the top tier, with scores of 65 percent and above. Notably, the schools with the top 10 scores are scattered throughout the city, located in all wards except 1 and 3 (the latter of which has no charters).
We appreciate that student improvement is factored into the scores, as schools that help a student advance deserve credit for that progress, even if the result is not top performance. We also took note of the fact that some schools that are widely seen as particularly successful, such as Washington Latin’s middle school, ended up in the second tier. That school’s score of 59.4 percent may mean that Latin has work to do, or perhaps it points to flaws in the rating system.
Perfect or not, we think this rating approach is a real boon to parents struggling to assess their options in a confusing period of extensive choice. We’d appreciate it if D.C. Public Schools would adopt the same approach. Imagine the ease of comparing all city schools via the same metric, simply by perusing a single chart. The school system has placed its institutions in categories before, but the terms used — like “reward schools” and “rising schools” — are less clear than is a set of numbered tiers.
Again, to be fair, a percentile is hardly a full picture of a school and all of its teachers, programs and personalities. But it’s something, and given the dizzying array of choices parents face in D.C. today, any such information helps.
D.C.’s Paul Public Charter School under investigation for testing violation [Paul PCS mentioned]
The Washington Post
By Michael Alison Chandler
November 20, 2014
The District’s Paul Public Charter School is under investigation for alleged testing violations.
The middle school in Ward 4 has been classified as a “tier 1” school for the past three years, but the school did not receive a classification this year when score cards were released last week. School officials notified families that they did not receive a score because of “procedural testing violations during the administration of the DC CAS” in the 2013-2014 school year.
Takita W. Mason, director of development at the school, said in an e-mail that the Office of the State Superintendent of Education found that an “individual staff member in a key position erased stray marks on student answer booklets.”
But she said that the investigation, which is still pending, has found “no evidence of academic fraud or altering of student responses.”
School officials are working with OSSE to determine the outcome and whether or not they will officially release scores, she said.
A spokesman for OSSE said he could not comment on a pending investigation.
Theola Debose, spokeswoman for the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said the board is “awaiting the results of that investigation before determining what steps, if any,” to take.
Paul International High School also received a score card without a tier status this year because it is only in its second year and does not yet serve all four grades.
National Collegiate Prep Boasts Perfect Graduation Rate [National Collegiate Prep PCS mentioned]
Afro
By Natascha Saunders
November 19, 2014
National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter School (National Prep) hosted their Invention Convention in conjunction with the Metro Warriors STEM Organization (MWSO) and IT Computer Wiz Kids in Southeast D.C. on Nov. 12. The school was very proud to open its doors this year to the community at large to come out and see their students’ inventions.
National Prep offers disadvantaged youth in D.C. the opportunity to excel above their circumstances and environments. The program is focused on providing a solution to the urgent need of closing the achievement gap for students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
The school’s environment provides students with a world-class, hands-on education. Many students have expressed that National Prep makes them feel like they are cared for and that they belong to something bigger than themselves. “It feels like a family at my school,” students said.
The staff, teacher and student partnerships have resulted in the National Prep achieving a 100 percent high school graduation and college acceptance rate. National Prep also boasts that they offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) program that provides students with an international studies component. Instead of a regular high school diploma, students can receive an advanced degree with a more rigorous grading structure.
Melvin Stallings, STEM coordinator and conceptual physics teacher for National Prep has a background in biology and chemistry with degrees from both Notre Dame and Norfolk State. He formerly worked for the Baltimore City Police Department as a crime investigator. Stallings was excited about sharing his encounter with Jennifer Ross, founder and executive director who hired him to bring STEM to National Prep. “National Prep didn’t have a STEM program, but Ms. Ross gave me a chance,” he said.
“We have a very diverse group of kids here. Students are eager to learn something new,” said Stallings. “Students here ask questions. They want to know how does this relate to physics. How does this relate to the real world? And they express they don’t really want to do this if it doesn’t relate.”
National Prep uses STEM as a vehicle to bridge the gap on how it relates to their daily lives. The school’s motto is, “STEM is for life.” When asked about the future of the program, Stalling expressed his desire to see the program expand. He said, “In the next two years we’d like to have 100-150 students. This program is a good vehicle to obtain scholarships. A lot of our students want to become engineers and scientists so I tell them do summer internships and summer jobs so you can obtain those opportunities.”
In March 2015, National Prep STEM students will travel to California to participate in the national championship competition at the National Society of Black Engineering Conference. To learn more about National Prep visit http://nationalprepdc.org.