SENATE REPLACES ‘SCARLET LETTER’ SCHOOL GRADES WITH FAIR EVALUATION SYSTEM

System will involve stakeholders, and won’t be based on test scores

AUGUSTA—Earlier today in a 21-14 vote, the Senate approved a fair system to evaluate Maine schools intended to replace the flawed school grading system implemented by the LePage administration last month.

“Maine children deserve the best education, just as Maine deserves an accurate and effective way to evaluate their schools’ performance,” said Senator Rebecca Millett of Cape Elizabeth, who is the Senate Chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs committee and is also the sponsor of the bill. “The Governor’s school grading system is insufficient, incomplete, and reflects an inaccurate picture of our schools.”

The A-F school grading system was established without any school district input. The grades for elementary and middle schools are based entirely on reading and math standardized test scores, which are strongly correlated to poverty, and does not include peer group comparisons.

“It’s no secret that the Governor’s A to F Scarlet Letter grading system is nothing more than a re-election gimmick,” said Senator Christopher Johnson of Somerville, who also serves on the state’s education committee. “However, he has done a great disservice by not allowing any input from the experts and then inflicting it on our schools.”

The proposal sponsored by Senator Millett would create a commission of education stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, parents, experts, and students, to develop a fair school evaluation system based on student progress and local improvement measures, not standardized test scores.

“We want to know how well Maine schools are preparing our youth for life after the cap and gown,” said Senator Millett. “The answer cannot be found in test scores alone.”

The system would also include a process to include peer group comparisons based on characteristics like special education, free and reduced price lunch, and English Language Learners (ELL).

“This is a good step toward evaluating our schools. This is a fair and accurate evaluation model that puts politics aside and does what’s best for our students, ” said Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland.

The bill, LD 1540, “An Act To Fix and Improve the System Used To Evaluate or Rate Public Schools in Maine,” faces further votes in the Senate and the House.

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