Gilroy High a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing
across-the-board drop in rankings for our schools compared with
similar
schools
It’s important to keep the Gilroy Unified School District’s Academic Performance Index rankings in perspective.
While test scores in the school district have risen – that’s the good news – our schools haven’t kept pace with similarly ranked schools.
That’s the bad news, and that’s why Gilroy schools’ API rankings dropped. It’s disappointing news, but it should be tempered with the overall perspective.
First, real life isn’t like Lake Wobegon – everyone can’t be above average. When you compare members of any group, from brands of bologna to car manufacturers to school districts, some members of that group will rank highly, others in the middle and some at the bottom.
No Child Left Behind’s unrealistic assumption that every school can be above average is its chief flaw.
Second, the reason that Gilroy schools’ API ranking dropped is that schools in their comparison groups posted bigger API score gains than GUSD schools.
Third, let’s remember that long-struggling Gilroy High School was a shining star in this year’s API report, improving both it’s API score, from 683 to 703, and its API ranking, from below average to average.
That signifies a substantial turnaround from recent years, and it’s worth noting that high schools have consistently been the most difficult to move ahead.
Clearly, the amount of focus on Gilroy High has paid dividends. The faculty and the new administration have made a commitment to improved academics, and the refurbishing of facilities as well as the beautiful new student center may have played a role in increased morale. That and hard work are a positive combination.
Finally, especially in light of the district’s press release announcing the increased scores and ignoring the drop in rankings, we think the community needs to hear the complete story – not a story spun from golden honey.
Meanwhile, we look forward to the analysis the district promised on the drop in rankings and we invite interim Superintendent Darrel D. Taylor to pen a guest column that gives the public insight and perspective on what that drop means.
That would be a worthy effort in communication that parents, students, teachers and taxpayers would most appreciate.
