New Measure for School Performance

Researchers from The Ohio State University have developed a new way to measure school quality. They say it is a more accurate reflection of student learning than achievement tests now used in keeping with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.


Fewer Schools Are Failing


The study was conducted by researchers in the department of sociology and published in the August 2008 issue of the journal Sociology of Education. Up to three-fourths of the schools now rated as failing would receive acceptable ratings using their system, which measures how quickly students are learning. Results show that students in many failing schools learn much faster during the school year than during the summer break, and learn at an acceptable rate.


Testing Bias Eliminated


The researchers contend that their system eliminates the bias in test results that comes from lower scores by disadvantaged groups of students. They used data measuring math and reading scores for 4,217 children in 287 schools. Measurements were done at the beginning and end of kindergarten and first-grade. They showed that although children from a lower socio-economic background began school behind their counterparts, they learned at an acceptable rate, showing that their teachers were doing a good job.


IQity Strives to Help All Students


At IQity, we're excited to see this study and hope it's widely discussed in the educational community. Our mission is to achieve an educational system in which all children can learn successfully, regardless of socio-economic status, geography, medical conditions, learning styles, or other historic barriers. But we're not satisfied with a system in which children who are disadvantaged remain behind their peers, a system in which they may learn at an "acceptable" rate but never really catch up. We believe that the individualized instruction made possible by a comprehensive online Learning Management System like IQity can bridge the achievement gap.