School Daze
As I’ve watched the hearings concerning the possibility of the state of Indiana taking over failing schools, there was something that caught my attention. I hadn’t put it together at first, but after I noticed it, my jaw dropped to the floor. At the beginning of every hearing the State shows the audience data concerning test scores and graduation rates of the failing school. The test scores are a compilation of ISTEP and End of Course Assessment results. This data, along with attendance and some other factors, are used to determine what level of intervention is necessary.
As I looked at the test scores and compared them with the graduation rates something just wasn’t right. The percentage of students graduating is two to three times the rate of students passing English and Math. Take a look for yourself…
- Northwest High School
- English – 19%, Math – 25%
- Graduation Rate – 57%.
- Dropout Rate – 26%.
- Calumet High School
- English – 46%, Math – 42%.
- Graduation Rate – 75%.
- Dropout – 16.5%
- Hammond High School*
- English – 24%, Math – 33%
- Graduation Rate – 62%.
- Dropout Rate – 8.5%.
- Howe High School
- English – 31%, Math – 38%.
- Graduation Rate – 78%.
- Dropout Rate – 6%.
- Manual High School
- English – 35%, Math – 29%.
- Graduation Rate – 60%.
- Dropout Rate – 25%
- Morton High School
- English -39%, Math – 48%.
- Graduation Rate – 69%
- Dropout Rate – 10%.
What do these results tell you? They tell me a lot of students are graduating with diplomas they can’t read and with educations that are practically worthless. And the only thing that makes matters worse are the people who are defending status quo. If there was a ever a case for abuse and neglect, this is it.
*Hammond school officials say their test scores have increased since the last state assessment. They say preliminary data shows English pass scores went from 24% to 45% and Math increased from 29% to 64% for sophomores.
