Criteria for low-achieving schools creates blurry picture

To the editor:
    I was born and raised in Aroostook County, growing up in Cary Plantation and attending high school at Hodgdon High. My daughter graduated from Houlton High School in 2009 and, as a proud parent, I attended commencement and congratulated her and her classmates. I am pleased with the education she received at Houlton High and with the education I received at Hodgdon High School. I went on to attend Purdue University and the University of Maine. I graduated from law school cum laude. The education and well-rounded experience I received from Hodgdon High served me well in my further education. I am now a practicing attorney and I serve in the Maine House of Representatives in my second term.
    So it was a surprise to see both Houlton and Hodgdon high schools on the list of persistently lowest achieving schools. I am especially surprised when a few facts are highlighted.
    Houlton High School was accredited last year by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and has been since1947. This accreditation status means Houlton High School meets high standards of performance. Only a few years ago Houlton High was invited to attend a conference sponsored by the Maine Department of Education. DOE wanted high performing schools – those schools that performed well on Maine’s standardized tests, like Houlton, to present to low performing schools. Now the definition of “low performing schools” has changed.
    The determination of a “low performing school” came as a result of comparison of student achievement on the SAT. The measurement was taken by using the 2006-07 results and measuring improvement over the next two years. The problem with such a snapshot in time, as opposed to taking an average of several years’ scores, is that it serves as a poor baseline. How does the Maine Department of Education know 2006-07 are the appropriate years to select? What if those years are the highest on record in the history of the school? How can the school improve from its best ? In fact, the 2006-07 SAT was a “high point” for Houlton High School. Our kids performed extremely well during that year compared to the following two years, 2007-08 and 2008-09, and thus Houlton High did not show improvement over our “highest mark.” If the average of the three years were taken, Houlton High School would rank in the middle of Maine high schools.
    While Houlton High and Hodgdon High now have the opportunity to receive federal dollars, it comes at the cost of being labeled lowest performing. It also comes at the cost of making drastic changes to the school system, including to personnel. All school administrators will admit there is always room for improvement, but providing stigma to do so seems an unlikely means to the goal.
    The Commissioner of Education makes clear that the schools are not the lowest performing schools in the state but only that they fall within an archaic and arbitrary state-federal definition of two specific groups (Tier I and Tier II). Tier I is defined as among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools in “improvement.” The schools are compared against their own “high-water mark” and the ranking compares the school against itself, not its neighbors. When the schools, such as Houlton and Hodgdon, are already making great gains at the time of the snapshot, the picture, when developed is not an accurate one.
    Clearly, this picture for our schools is not appropriate, and does not tell the whole story. Our schools have many outstanding attributes, and the teachers and administrators work diligently to help our students succeed. I will continue to communicate the high qualities of our schools, and I will continue to work with the schools, community members and others to ensure that our students have the best possible education.
Rep. Richard Cleary
House District 8