Chancellor’s new plan eliminates letter grades for schools

October 6, 2014 Heather Chin

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Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña has announced that city public schools will no longer receive letter grades as a measure of teacher and student quality; instead they will be rated according to “unique school-specific targets” that consider how the school compares to its own achievement in the next year.

This new rating system will be part of a formal report called the School Quality Snapshot and a “more robust” report called the School Quality Guide.

The Guide includes the new rating system based on school-specific goals, several years of data on each individual school, descriptions of student progress and achievement, school environment, test scores over time, and college and career readiness data.

The Snapshot will provide a briefer glimpse into a school, using the Guide data as well as a formal school visit and evaluation by an educator, student feedback, parent feedback, teacher feedback and a list of colleges attended by alumni.

These are just two of many new changes coming to the city Department of Education (DOE) courtesy of Fariña, a former school superintendent, principal and teacher who returned to Brooklyn on Wednesday, October 1, going to P.S. 503/P.S. 506 in Sunset Park to unveil her vision for success at city schools.

That vision includes the Snapshot, the Guide, and a six-pillar framework for student and school success.

The six pillars are “rigorous instruction, a supportive environment, collaborative teachers, effective leadership, strong family-community ties, and a culture of continuous learning and trust,” said Fariña, who credited P.S. 503/P.S. 506’s school community with epitomizing these pillars of success.

“I remember visiting this school 13 years ago when [it had] more challenges than successes,” she said. “Their progress has implications for the city as a whole. . . Our new system affirms our commitment to recognizing that there are many measures of school quality beyond state test scores.

“We are no longer forcing change on people; we’re creating change with people,” she said.

P.S. 503 Parent Teacher Association President Elizabeth Diaz cheered the new school measurement system.

“What Chancellor Fariña said about our school, the level of trust, I just felt it,” Diaz said. “Three years ago, I did use the Progress Report to guide me in finding a school and I was very hesitant because their grade was a B-, but I got a tour and met with administrators and somehow felt good about it.

“I knew I’d picked the right school, not just for test scores, but because they care and work hard and motivate them to do the best they can,” Diaz added. “The way they try to involve parents in all meetings, with translation and Family Fridays, is amazing. We’re a very large immigrant community. These are all important things for parents.”