In today's Daily Camera we have Boulder Valley third-grade CSAP scores steady which is quite a spin for the situation on the ground. "Hold steady" is another phrase for no improvement. And how long have we had no improvement? From the year we first started measuring schools – 12 years ago. No improvement (details here).
Now if you're doing a phenomenal job then "hold steady" is a great result. But when your results are in the toilet, continuing to hold steady in the shitter is not something to be proud of. And BVSD is in the shitter. For the last 12 years 30% of our children are not proficient. And proficient is a relatively easy score to reach if a student is doing well in class.
And the ramifications for those in that 30%? Almost without exception it means they are not prepared for college and with no college, in the modern economy, they face very limited options in the job market. In other words, they're hosed financially for the rest of their life and their children are also looking at a life of economic hardship. Yes there are some jobs that pay well and don't require a college degree – but not very many.
Finally to those that say the tests don't measure the right thing and that teachers teach to the test. First, no test is perfect but don't make perfect the enemy of good. The trick is to improve the tests so that teaching to the test does teach what we want children to learn. And second, if our schools are teaching to the test then we can agree that BVSD's teachers are failing – because 30% of their students are failing the test they spend their time teaching to.
Yes we could come up with better measurements (although there is massive teacher resistance to that because better testing will clearly identify which teachers are doing a poor job). Yes there are numerous home and societal issues that significantly impact how well kids do. But to effect zero improvement over 12 years…
