LOS ANGELES (Nov. 5, 2019) – To provide more information about their individual school to students, parents, employees and the public, the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education today approved reintroducing an updated data summary sheet in place of assigning each school a single, summative rating such as a letter grade, a score or a number of stars.
“We want to provide as much information as we can to educators and the families and communities we serve,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “The information will help inform our work in schools to help each student reach their full potential.”
“Parents have the right to receive information and ask questions about potential public schools in which to enroll their children so that they can make well-informed decisions,” School Board Vice President Jackie Goldberg, the sponsor of the resolution, said. “Successful communication between parents and schools fosters trust and supports shared decision-making. Assigning a single rating to a school and an entire school community, however, fails to accomplish this end.”
The resolution, “Ensuring Support for Students at All Los Angeles Unified School District Schools,” would measure achievement based on student progress, relevant and required test scores, responsible reclassification of English Language Learners and how a school addresses the academic achievement gap often influenced by the socioeconomic backgrounds of families and communities. To reduce gaps at schools with struggling students, teachers and educators would work with local district teams to help more of those students meet or exceed standards.
“We want parents to have access to information,” Board President Dr. Richard Vladovic said. “This is not an issue of transparency. The California Dashboard can provide parents with almost all the data they need and should have. Moreover, the individual school can provide additional school specific data for parents and all stakeholders. When you give a school a rating, the child who attends that school is labeled as well. Our job is to support, uplift and empower our students. We don’t get to choose what students we get but we choose to welcome every child.”
“We heard parents loud and clear, they demand the data necessary to help them advocate and make decisions about their schools,” Board Member Mónica García said.
“I am disappointed that after a 6-1 approval vote and nearly two years of stakeholder input to develop this tool, the Board has chosen to walk away from an opportunity to define what success looks like for our schools,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said. “I am glad that we will still be sharing growth data—one of the most important indicators of student learning—and hope that continued community engagement will result in a transparent, clear platform for parents, employees, and the public.”