PS 321 losing its luster?

Why not applaud those schools that got an A and may be a surprise to everyone, like 107, who take it for granted that 321 is the only good school in Park Slope (for example). I don’t think anyone will take this as the final word. If your school got a C then perhaps next year it will get a B or an A and you can be happy about how much it’s improved, as I’m sure the parents who have chosen 107 are doing right now.

I agree with much of what 2:28 is saying. Basically, when these schools get grades, the grade does not represent “How good a school this will be for your child” but instead “How much success is the school having in raising student performance compared with previous years.” Just because 107 got an A, 321 got a B, and 39 got a C does not make one or the other “better” for your kid. The demographic changes in the 107 zone (fairly rapid gentrification) give it a huge advantage compared with 321 (well off and always has been) and 39 (not as well off and not moving up as rapidly as 107).

You would probably be horrified at what goes on at some of the A schools, and flabbergasted that some got Ds (like 154 in Windsor Terrace, if I remember correctly). There are EXCELLENT teachers and students at 39 and 154 just like there are at 107 and 321, and there is “deadwood” at every one of those schools as well. My kids go to 39 and I’ve been shocked at how competent and dedicated the teachers are there. A new principal took over this year, who I believe is doing a superb job. You’d be foolish to dismiss that or any other school as poorly run because it got a C.

2:28 PM
given detailed, extensive and glowing written reviews

Were do you get these reviews?

I posted earlier under the Tuesday links section about this subject and feel obliged to further share that which I know.

I recommend that parents who are searching for schools [and real estate!] do not take these letter grades at face value; the letter grades posted simply do not line up with the written reports that these schools received about a month ago. Please use http://www.insideschools.org for more accurate and honest assessments. [And NO, I have no connection to that website or anyone who is involved with it.] I endorse it because I visited many schools before choosing our school, and never disagreed with any of the opinions stated on the site. I also found that 95% of school administrators I would speak with respected the opinions of insideschools.org – and that spoke volumes to me.

In our case, our south slope zoned elementary school was, just last month, given detailed, extensive and glowing written reviews and there was very little about the school that was criticized in the report. In fact, the criticisms seemed so minor and insignificant as to make us laugh at several points along the way. (And the mumbo jumbo-encoded language was incredibly amusing in and of itself.) They lauded the administration and staff, and found much to admire regarding almost every aspect of the school’s approach to teaching, just as we have over the past several years. When we finished reading the report, we were convinced that the school would receive an “A.” And of course, this made complete sense to us, as our child has flourished and excelled there in all areas of study – it’s also a school that we have continually recommended to others…

But it didn’t get an “A” – It got a “C”… We were shocked!

Well, further research has made me realize some things about this fiasco that a subsequent poster on the Tuesday links noted – that the letter grades are in fact a result of a very strange and confusing grading process – one in which schools are in essence given a “demerit” if the percentile of students at or above grade level drops by even a miniscule amount from a previous year. Conversely, if a school that in the past [and even present!] had crummy test scores [and even a bad reputation amongst other teachers and parents] raised the percentage of “at or above grade level” students just a little bit, then that school would be rewarded with a higher letter grade.

This is why you will see some schools receive an “A” even if the overwhelming majority of their students don’t meet standards, just as you’ll see consistently excellent, high achieving schools [like 321] drop from an “A” to a “B” or even worse. It’s just plain weird, perhaps even a bit psychotic.

I don’t know what this entire process was supposed to do “at the end of the day” but I believe that the results will continue to spark outrage, disbelief, stress, suspicion, and a bunch of other negative, unnecessary things.

I HIGHLY recommend that parents visit each and every potential school for themselves, speak with administrators, other parents, attend school events, and use the http://www.insideschools.org website to help make the proper choice for their children. This grading system has been an utter disaster and I feel absolutely terrible for the administrators, teachers, and parents who have done everything in their power to create a great school for the benefit of the kids and surrounding communities.

It’s just not right, and I trust that Mayor Bloomberg is intelligent enough to know it and not let it happen again. Whatever that takes…