Researchers Discredit LA School Rating System
The linked study here by Herb Bassett, is the most recent study that discredits the school performance and grading system used by Our Louisiana Department of Education. That study cites specific (BESE Bulletin 111) rule changes - made as late as June 2012 - and shows their effects on the SPS scores. Mr Bassett's study is related to the analysis by Dr Mercedes Schneider reported on this blog on November 27th that showed a major disparity in 2012 between SPS scores for high schools and combination schools compared to the SPS scores for elementary and middle schools. These studies taken together show that school performance and therefore letter grades for our public schools are constantly being manipulated by our DOE in ways that make them invalid for rating the performance of our public schools. Yet the general public has been led to believe that such school performance scores and letter grades really tell us something about the quality of instruction taking place in each of our public schools.
These studies explain how most of the apparent gains in school performance in 2012 by high schools across the state were really caused by a change in the calculation of SPS. Mr Bassett's study demonstrates that
These studies explain how most of the apparent gains in school performance in 2012 by high schools across the state were really caused by a change in the calculation of SPS. Mr Bassett's study demonstrates that