Schools
Novi Schools' Low Ratings Do Not Measure Achievement, Superintendent Says
Novi schools scored "Yellow" and "Orange," the second-lowest ratings possible on a new system by the Michigan Department of Education.
The Michigan Department of Education released ratings last week for school districts and schools across the state using a new system that assigns each school and district a color based on a combination of assessments.Â
Many were alarmed by Novi schools' ratings, which were all in the "Yellow" or "Orange" categories. These are the last two categories above the lowest "Red" rating and represent schools receiving between 60 percent and 70 percent or between 50 and 60 percent of possible points respectively.Â
In an email across the district Wednesday, Novi schools Superintendent Steve Matthews said the colored ratings do no identify achievement.
"The colors indicate progress on achieving the building and district goals as assigned by the state," he said in the email.
Matthews said that schools clumped into the same color categories did not have similar student achievement. He listed an example of student math achievement in Novi schools and another yellow-scoring district. Novi district's students are 92.3 percent proficient in math while the other district's students are 70.1 percent proficient, he said.
"The state rating system suggests that both of these schools have similar student achievement," he said. "That is not the case. The Novi school is rated yellow because it has different and more challenging goals to work on based on past performance."
Matthews went on to say in his email that Novi schools received these low ratings despite achieving high scores on the most recent Michigan Merit Exams. The scores, released in June, show that the percentage of Novi students who scored either proficient or advanced on the 2013 MME was higher in every subject.
The Michigan Department of Education's new rating system, called School Accountability Scorecards, replace the old Adequate Yearly Progress system. The new system's scores caused confusion not only in Novi but in districts across Michigan.
In an email across the district Wednesday, Novi schools Superintendent Steve Matthews said the colored ratings do no identify achievement.
"The colors indicate progress on achieving the building and district goals as assigned by the state," he said in the email.
Matthews said that schools clumped into the same color categories did not have similar student achievement. He listed an example of student math achievement in Novi schools and another yellow-scoring district. Novi district's students are 92.3 percent proficient in math while the other district's students are 70.1 percent proficient, he said.
"The state rating system suggests that both of these schools have similar student achievement," he said. "That is not the case. The Novi school is rated yellow because it has different and more challenging goals to work on based on past performance."
Matthews went on to say in his email that Novi schools received these low ratings despite achieving high scores on the most recent Michigan Merit Exams. The scores, released in June, show that the percentage of Novi students who scored either proficient or advanced on the 2013 MME was higher in every subject.
The Michigan Department of Education's new rating system, called School Accountability Scorecards, replace the old Adequate Yearly Progress system. The new system's scores caused confusion not only in Novi but in districts across Michigan.
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