The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is beginning a process to overhaul school performance grades and is seeking public input through a new survey.
The state’s A-F performance grades were developed so communities could better understand the quality of the state’s public schools, but many believe the current model puts too much weight on student achievement determined by testing. The survey will gather feedback from parents, teachers, students, and community members about the state’s current school grading approach and how school quality might be better measured.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said changes to the school grading system are needed not only to measure school performance more accurately, but also to help drive better student outcomes since accountability measures have a strong influence on the priorities for teaching and learning in schools.
“School performance grades are really about school quality, but right now the model overemphasizes student test scores while not accounting for the other ways schools are preparing students for post-secondary success,” Truitt said. “The model should incorporate other important metrics – not just high-stakes student testing – to redefine school quality. This survey is the first step of many, as we look to solicit feedback from across the state and select indicators that help paint a more complete picture of school quality. We hope that parents, community members and educators will give of their time to complete it.”
Take the survey here: https://www.ednc.org/school-performance-grade-survey/
The survey will remain open until October 10.
