LAURINBURG — In the 300-page report given to the state by WestEd, one recommendation that could have a positive effect in all 100 counties is the change of the accountability system.
On Monday the Scotland County School Board met as a committee and Board Attorney Eva DuBuisson spoke about the findings that came from the WestEd as the third-party consultant.
“WestEd did recommend billions of dollars in additional investment to meet these goals in state investment,” DuBuisson said. “They had some interesting recommendations about our accountability system — the report found very clearly the current accountability system is unfair to students who come from low-income backgrounds and low-wealth schools because it emphasizes proficiency overgrowth.”
The recommendation added that growth should be much more than proficiency and staff be graded on more than test scores.
“When it comes to the accountability system, not only do they say the system is weighed heavy against students of poverty — but it also added that they add questions to the end of course test as a better way to collect students knowledge,” said Superintendent Ron Hargrave. “As it’s designed now, it doesn’t capture what students are even asked to know when they graduate school and to be successful in the world they’re going into … it’s a one-shot deal.”
The report also pointed out that the state’s assessment does not align with the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is a national standard of what every child should know.
“As a state, we are so caught up in the state report card because it’s the only thing we have,” Hargrave said. “But it is not aligned with what students really need to know when they’re graduating and entering into our world and try to be successful … the whole accountability system they’re asking that they redesign it.”
DuBuisson added that the system is also designed so schools can never meet 80% proficiency, as it gets harder when schools begin to get closer.
Some other recommendations WestEd had were for the state to supplements so that low wealth counties can pay teachers the same as high wealth counties and other changes to the principal pay structure along with some additional resources to high poverty schools that would allow them to have smaller class size to help retain more experienced staff and gain additional staff for whole child support.
“What’s going to have to happen is that boards of education and counties are going to have to get together and say this is what needs to happen for our students,” Hargrave said. “They’re going to have to join together and pursue asking the state to make this really happen.”
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at [email protected]
