What's behind the movement toward meaningless school ratings?

The state's new color-coded school rating system debuted with a resounding thud.  The mediocre to failing scores it assigned to districts and individual schools in Ann Arbor, Okemos, East Lansing and other high-performing schools was so patently absurd, many reacted with disinterest.  After all, who would pay any attention to a system which is so obviously getting it wrong?  However, systems like Michigan's with a bias to favor small charter schools have cropped up in other states as well, and in at least one case, the bias was proven to be by design.

The Associated Press uncovered emails which showed Indiana's chief education official rigged their system to protect a particular charter school:

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold "failing" schools accountable. But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade, Bennett's education team frantically overhauled his signature "A-F" school grading system to improve the school's marks.

Emails obtained by The Associated Press show Bennett and his staff scrambled last fall to ensure influential donor Christel DeHaan's school received an "A," despite poor test scores in algebra that initially earned it a "C."

"They need to understand that anything less than an A for Christel House compromises all of our accountability work," Bennett wrote in a Sept. 12 email to then-chief of staff Heather Neal, who is now Gov. Mike Pence's chief lobbyist. [Tony Bennett, Former Indiana School Superintendent, Changed Top GOP Donor's School's Grade, Huffington Post, July 29, 2013.]

Like the Indiana system, Michigan's system has a heavy bias to small charter schools.  According to analysis by education blogger Martha Toth, Michigan's system scored more than 97 percent of districts and schools "yellow" or lower ... failing grades.  Report Cards that Offer Zero Useful Information, Education Matters, Sept. 3, 2013.  Of the very few "green" schools, many qualified merely by being a tiny charter school:

Of the 135 green schools, 41 (nearly one-third) got “zero of a possible zero points” — so how is it that they are rated green? Most are so designated on the basis of three-year participation rates (how many children actually took the tests) and “compliance factors” (planning and reporting requirements that earn no points). They have no student test scores because all their grade cohorts are under 30 pupils — a prime indicator that they are likely to be charter schools. Other “green” schools with very low point totals got them for such factors as student attendance. [Id.]

While Michigan's system may be peculiar, it's certainly not unique.  And although the results are clearly meaningless, this is an issue that warrants close scrutiny from public school advocates.

The online education model failing in higher ed

There is a troubling trend of converting K-12 education in Michigan into online education, and replacing teachers with computers.  There is now evidence this model is failing even for university students. 

Governor Snyder made national news with his secret group which was working to create a "value school" model for public education in Michigan, and cut thousands out of the investment in each child with a voucher program.  Secret "Skunk Works" program aims for "Voucher-like" program for Michigan Schools, Okemos Parents for Schools, April 19, 2013.  Last year's budget also included a provision which will force public schools to pay for two online courses per semester for any child in grades 5-12, with no meaningful oversight by public schools.  "Voucher for Vendors," what it is, and why you should speak out against it, Okemos Parents for Schools, April 14, 2013.  Although there was never any data or research to support these radical changes, there is now data to show these models are failing even with university age students. 

Millions have signed up for online courses sponsored by elite colleges, yet they report high dropout rates and disappointing student performance among those who stick it out. A quietly released report last week on a partnership between San Jose State University and major course provider Udacity found that disadvantaged kids performed particularly poorly and students found the courses confusing. Collective statistics aren’t available, but by one tracker’s account most “massive online open courses” — known as MOOCs — have completion rates of less than 10 percent.

...

“Quality, quality and quality,” [Adam Sitze, an assistant professor of law, jurisprudence and social thought at Amherst College] said. “The elephant in the room with online learning has been that these courses don’t equate with the quality in face-to-face courses.”  [Online courses don't live up to hype, Politico.com, September 18, 2013 (emphasis added).]

We recently wrote about the flood of cyberschool marketing all over the state.  Online schools rapidly expanding, spending tax dollars on marketing, Okemos Parents for Schools, July 26, 2013.  Online ads, TV commercials and direct mail have been targeting Okemos as described in our post.  Now road side signs are popping up in Okemos as well. 

As funding has decreased, schools have been plunged into deficit

Chart from Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities.

There are lots of claims out of Lansing about increasing funding to K-12 education.  They aren't true.  Funding to K-12 education has been devastated in recent years.  Because of Proposal A (see background information here), important operating expenses such as teacher salaries cannot be paid for with locally raised money.  The fallout is apparent in districts all over the state.

First, the false claims of increased funding to K-12 education.  They're not true:

Michigan has cut investment in K-12 schools by 9 percent since 2008, a deeper cut than 33 other states, according to a report released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. [Study: Michigan cut school funding more than 33 other states since '08, Detroit News, September 12, 2013]

Since 2008, Michigan has slashed an inflation adjusted $572 per student. Last year alone Michigan cut K-12 funding another half a percent.  Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 12, 2013.  The modest cuts this year come after massive cuts at the beginning of the Snyder administration. 

Schools all over Michigan have built new buildings and are spending money on technology.  But these expenditures can be paid for with locally raised revenue.  Because of Proposal A, public schools cannot pay their operating expenses with locally raised revenue.  That money must come from the state's per pupil allowance.  Schools are feeling the sting of these cuts.

Ann Arbor has some of the state's best public schools.  But cuts are hitting Ann Arbor hard as they are laying off teachers and class sizes are pushing 40 students:

[James] Svensson, a clinical social worker at the University of Michigan, said his daughter came home from the first day of school "shocked" at how many students she was sharing class with.

In her accelerated geometry class, there are 38 students in her section, Svensson said. In another section, there are 41 students. History and German classes at Pioneer are also seeing class sizes larger than 38 students.

“There’s only so much time a teacher has,” Svensson said, stating he fears that the quality of education at AAPS will slip as a result of the staff cuts. [Ann Arbor schools coping with standing-room-only classes, smaller staff, The Ann Arbor News, Sept. 10, 2013.]

In all, 56 school districts are now operating with budget deficits.  There are urban schools included.  But there are also rural and suburban communities which have traditionally invested in their schools such as Brighton, Mason County Eastern, and Pinckney Community Schools. Pinckney, got 10 percent across the board pay reductions to make up the deficit, but the state rejected the plan, saying 10 percent pay reductions were not enough.

[Superintendent Rick Todd] said fixing the deficit is challenging because the district is losing students. The district has seen its enrollment decline by 1,000 in the past decade.

The other frustration came when the state cut its per-pupil funding by $470 per student two years ago. Pinckney took a roughly $1.8 million hit to its revenues with that reduction.

“That put the nail in the coffin,” Todd said. [Pinckney deficit plan denied, Livingston Daily.com, Sept. 7, 2013.]

All this after the state dissolved the Saginaw Buena Vista School district and the Inkster school districts. Snyder signs bill that spells end for Buena Vista and Inkster schools, MLive.com, July 2, 2013.  The state also effectively dissolved the Muskegon Height School District as it fired every employee in the district and handed over management to a charter company.

Okemos, East Lansing, Haslett have all been at the top of state, national rankings

In light of the state's new color-coded rankings which scored Okemos and other high-performing schools with average to failing rankings, Okemos scores second to bottom on state's new scale, Okemos Parents for Schools, September 3, 2013, I thought we would emphasize some of the recent good news for area schools.

Okemos got a lot of great news this year about how its high school was performing.  U.S. News and World Report ranked Okemos as the 7th best high school in Michigan.  The other nine schools in the top 10 are public schools like Okemos, not charter schools.  East Lansing, Okemos high schools among top ten in state, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings, MLive.com, April 24, 2013.  Okemos was also ranked the 7th on U.S. News and World Report's NATIONAL ranking of  science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) schools.  U.S, News and World Report explains these rankings:

To determine the top science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) schools, U.S. News looked at the top 500 public schools from our latest Best High Schools rankings, and then evaluated their students' participation and success in Advanced Placement (AP®) science and math tests. [U.S. News and World Report]

Yes, only six schools in the entire country performed better on AP STEM tests than Okemos High School.  Overall, Okemos got rated with a "Gold Medal" by U.S. News and World Report.

Of course, every district is different, and some districts face greater challenges than others.  So, simply comparing standardized test scores may not be a fair indicator of how well a school is performing its core function of education.  In January of this year, Bridge Magazine released a ranking system to account for that discrepancy, a "value-added" index:

Unlike traditional rankings that focus solely on student achievement, often on standardized tests, the Bridge rankings include an adjustment for student family income, which is often a predictor of academic achievement, according to Bridge.

The new ranking system is essentially designed to test overachievement – or the expectation of each school's performance against the actual performance. [Okemos schools earn top honors under new rankings released by Bridge Magazine, MLive.com, January 10, 2013]

Okemos ranked 9th in the state by this measure as well.  Bridge Magazine

East Lansing High School also received a "Gold Medal" rating from U.S. News and World Report.  U.S. News and World Report - East Lansing.  East Lansing also ranked one higher than Okemos in the state high school rankings, 6th, and ranked 65th NATIONALLY in AP scoring in STEM classes.

Haslett also ranked near the top of the state in Bridge Magazine's "value-added" index, coming in at 24th. 

Okemos scores second lowest rating on state's new scale

In mid-August the state rolled out a new color-coded rating system for public schools and charters.  Under the new system, public schools will be held accountable for student performance in cyber school taught subjects while the public schools have no oversight capability. 

Under the new model, every school receives a color on a scale of green, lime-green, yellow, orange, or red - in descending order:

A school earns a color based on the number of points it amasses — two points for each goal met, , one point for each goal met by demonstrating improvement, and zero points if the goal isn’t met at all. Schools that earn 85% or more of the points possible are assigned a green color. To get lime green, they have to earn 70% to 84% of their points; yellow, 60% to 69%; orange, 50% to 59%; and red, below 50%. Michigan to debut color-coded system for measuring school performance, Detroit Free Press, Aug. 19, 2013.

You can see how Okemos scored on the state's Accountability scorecard. As a district, Okemos scored "Orange," the second to lowest rating.  However, every building scored "Yellow," one step higher.  Yet, in every category, every building scored "Green."  How can that be?

We think education blogger Martha Toth has it right.  She says "The short answer is that the system is rigged to produce failure. And that is exactly what it did."  Report Cards that Offer Zero Useful Information, Education Matters, Sept. 3, 2013.

Ms. Toth has an extremely detailed breakdown of the system.  She explains it tracks performance in categories such as test participation rate, attendance rate, graduation rate, and compliance with school improvement, educator effectiveness, among groups such as students with disabilities, English Language–learners, economically disadvantaged students, the bottom 30% and ethnic groups. The article is worth the read, but here are some highlights:

• 97 percent of Michigan districts/schools received "Yellow" or lower, or a "failing" score.
• Of the 135 schools with "Green" ratings, 41 received "zero out of zero" points because they are so small as to escape being scored.
• "Other “green” schools with very low point totals got them for such factors as student attendance. You will note that student attendance, test participation rates, school improvement planning and teacher evaluation reporting are ALL FACTORS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT"
• The system requires demonstration of yearly progress, when students are only tested only three years.  "Students who were not proficient in science in fifth grade will be unable to show improvement until the eighth grade test. For three years they WILL fail to achieve the required incremental progress."

Importantly, Ms. Toth points out:

Another wrinkle — or perhaps “monkey wrench” is more evocative here — in the system is that cyber schools can now provide one-third or more of educational classes for grades five through 12, but the home school district will be held accountable for student achievement results. Let me repeat: traditional school districts will be punished for the failures of on-line schools over which they have zero control.  Id.

You might recall that public schools will now be forced to pay for cyber school classes for students with public money, and be forced to accept whatever grade the cyber school gives.  We wrote about this here, here, and here.  Under this new color coded scheme, even if a student takes every math class in grades 5-12 from a cyber school, the student's public school will be held accountable for their performance.

Response to aggressive cyber school marketing

Two days ago we blogged about the evidence we saw of radical expansion of K-12 cyber schools, and aggressive marketing by for-profit charters, particularly K12 Inc. Online schools rapidly expanding, spending tax dollars on marketing, Okemos Parents for Schools, July 26, 2013.  Response was overwhelming that other folks across Michigan are seeing what we are ... and more.

The Network for Public Education linked to the post.  Save Michigan's Public Schools shared our post on Facebook and their post got 34 comments.  See their post here. Some of the comments discussed the marketing they from for-profit cyber schools:

• "Every other radio ad in the Lansing market is for enrollment in online schools."
• "I have seen road side signs. When I see advertisements on FB for online schools I mark it as spam."
• "I've seen the signs and have actually gotten a letter explaining all the benefits of online schools (with TESTIMONIALS from parents). Whatever."
• "They are out on the roads AND on TV! I have seen commercials for them! Arg!"
• "They are even paying for ads on apps like Words with Friends for charter and virtual schools. It is disgusting!"
• "Saw one sign on US 23 going to Alpena. At least it was only one lonely sign."
• "Saw this sign today on the corner of M-52 and Grand River between Webberville & Williamston. Made me very angry!!"
• "I see the signs all the time and hear advertisements on the radio. What parent in their right mind would pull their child out of school to learn on a computer?"
• "Lot's of radio ads."
• "They have at least three of them along North Avenue in St. Clair County in a 10 mile stretch."
• "Signs in Oscoda, MI"
• "yes in Rochester _ Oakland Twp and getting e mails from them"
• "I've seen them lots the past spring. Plus the radio ads are endless"

Some of the comments expressed concern about the idea of cyber schools:

• "One of the commercials for K-12 online learning, touts that it is great to get a public school education, "without the public school!" Your child won't have the distraction of "other students" like in a classroom setting. It all makes me so disgusted, as if in the our world we don't need to be able to learn to live with "other people." I simply can't imagine placing more value on making money than doing what is really good for our youth. It is sad."
• "Parents aren't following through on their children completing homework, reading, or studying so what makes them think they will get them to focus on computer based instruction."
• "How is this good for kids?
  
  Do virtual schools build community? Social relationships? Interpersonal skills? A sense of creativity and critical thinking?
  
  Cyber school enterprises have a track record of low passing rates, high dropout rates (often the cyber school keeps the tax dollars even when a student drops).
  
  And a very high profit margin."
• "I see the signs all the time and hear advertisements on the radio. What parent in their right mind would pull their child out of school to learn on a computer?"

One of the commenters on our blog defended the idea of quality homeschooling, something which we do not oppose, and expressed her view that K12 Inc. was not providing a quality education.  She said, in part, "I'll be sure never to recommend K12 though now that I know some of these things."

One commenter on the Save Michigan's Public Schools Facebook post made the point that these aggressive marketing campaigns are paid for with public funds meant for educating kids:

• "This is our kids education money being spent on this craziness. Stand up parents before its too late."

Gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer's communication director, Zack Pohl, shared a photo of an online ad and expressed a similar concern:

Some reporter should ask their sales dept. how much taxpayer $ these for-profit cyber schools are spending on ads. pic.twitter.com/BAKbpA936v
— Zack Pohl (@ZackPohl) July 26, 2013

Mr. Pohl also shared our post. 

We don't know how much tax money is being spent on advertising cyber schools.  We found a link to a story about New York charters spending $1.6 million on marketing. Charter schools spending up to $1.6 million on marketing, examiner.com, August 9, 2011.  However much money it is, it's clearly a lot. 

 

Online schools rapidly expanding, spending tax dollars on marketing

Gov. Snyder has made radical expansion of online education for K-12 students a centerpiece of his education policy.  Among some there is a sense that online education is meant to fill a niche that conventional public skills aren't filling.  That isn't what it's being used for.

In our discussions with folks at PTO meetings and in the community, people understandably ask if there isn't a limited place for online education.  Certainly, there is.  Before any of the recent radical expansions of online education were enacted, the community of education professionals in Michigan had already taken care of this.  New budget's disinvestment in K-12 goes beyond vouchers, Okemos Parents for Schools, April 17, 2013. Nonetheless, the Legislature and Gov. Snyder moved forward with radical expansion of practically unregulated online education paid for with public funds.  K-12 Budget Fails to Invest, Includes "Vouchers for Vendors", Okemos Parents for Schools, May 30, 2013.  Now we are seeing rapid expansion of online education across the state.  The photo of this roadside advertisement for "Virtual Public School" was posted on Facebook in June, but we have seen more of these signs around the state recently.


The "Virtual Learning Center" pictured here is being operated out of a gas station complex.  Vestaburg schools is operating this school for select kids.  According to the May minutes of the Vestaburg Board of Education Meeting, the school will ". . . only accept kids that are referred to them from Vestaburg’s administration.  Students that have already dropped out . . . ."

A recent Facebook discussion pointed out that kids seemingly won't have to ever set foot in the gas station school, since it's a "Virtual Learning Center."  However, the fact that kids never go to school may not be a great argument that it's okay to locate schools in gas stations.  You can read the minutes of the May meeting here. 

Additionally, K12 Inc. is sending out slick glossy mailers.  These mailers don't seem to be targeted to some special niche, sense the parents who received this one are very happy with Okemos Public Schools.  The mailer says "... the state of Michigan is offering free, full-time online public schooling, available to families like yours through K12."  The mailer emphasizes "... this program is free, paid for with your tax dollars just like other public schools."  Of course, the mailer is also paid for with tax dollars.  The mailer includes a link to a quiz which helps you decide if online only schooling is right for your child.  The quiz asks:

1. Is your child happy in school?

 

2. Does your child have any special needs?

3. Could your child benefit from a more flexible, self-paced schedule?

4. Does your child have social issues, or are you concerned about issues like bullying?

5. Do you want to play a more active role in your child's education?

We took the quiz.  Unsurprisingly, if you say your child is unhappy in school and would like a more self-paced schedule, this tool concludes online only education is right for him.  But look at the results from these answers:

1. Is your child happy in school? Yes, my child is happy, academically and socially.

2. Does your child have any special needs? My child has a learning disability and/or struggles to keep up.

3. Could your child benefit from a more flexible, self-paced schedule? No, my child needs someone to provide structure.

4. Does your child have social issues, or are you concerned about issues like bullying? No, my child has no social or peer-related issues.

5. Do you want to play a more active role in your child's education? No, and I don’t have the time to commit.

Results:

Based on your responses, K12 is an excellent option for your and your child.

• Children already doing well in traditional school settings love K12. Offering a true community, with online and offline learning and social activities, K12 goes far beyond brick-and-mortar schools.
• Perfectly suited for children with learning challenges, K12 allows you to set the pace, going slower through lessons as needed.
• Our curriculum is developed by a team of educators, leveraging the latest research. Even when you can’t facilitate the lessons, K12 has the structure to let your child progress.

So, a special needs child who is happy in school, and who needs structure but with parents unwilling to provide it is encouraged to sign up for online only school.

Never mind that K12 Inc. has been plagued with scandal.  A New York Times story about K12 Inc. showed:

• "Nearly 60 percent of its students are behind grade level in math. Nearly 50 percent trail in reading. A third do not graduate on time. And hundreds of children, from kindergartners to seniors, withdraw within months after they enroll."
• "Current and former staff members of K12 Inc. schools say problems begin with intense recruitment efforts that fail to filter out students who are not suited for the program, which requires strong parental commitment and self-motivated students."
• "Some teachers at K12 schools said they felt pressured to pass students who did little work. Teachers have also questioned why some students who did no class work were allowed to remain on school rosters, potentially allowing the company to continue receiving public money for them."
• "State auditors found that the K12-run Colorado Virtual Academy counted about 120 students for state reimbursement whose enrollment could not be verified or who did not meet Colorado residency requirements. Some had never logged in." New York Times, Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools, December 12, 2011

We wrote much more about K12 Inc. previously.  Education Budgets Moving - Vouchers and Disinvestment, Okemos Parents for Schools, April 24, 2013.

This at the same time Chicago Public Schools are replacing art and gym teachers with virtual teachers.  Yes, online gym classes:

School officials say all online courses are taught by a state-certified “virtual teacher.” Art students email or scan their work to teachers. Gym students have a mentor who works with them as they complete a fitness log.  [Amid Job Cuts, CPS Looking At Moving Gym, Music, Art Classes Online, CBS Chicago, July 25, 2013]

Is this where Michigan is going?