Comment of the Day: HISD, TAKS, Spinning & Responsibility

• Can someone tell me if the results by school have been published. All I see is the results for Apollo 20 schools. What about the rest of HISD. 

• TEA website quotes that he individual scores were sent ot the district. Also everyone should be aware that all of Texas used TPM not just HISd. Also most states have some form of TPM. i tried to open the link you listed and it would not open.

• This is the same comment all over the state.  We have administrators wanting to centralize, and kids who are disconnected from society raising themselves that must be taught.  When will our administrators and government officials realize this is not China?  We must teach every child here-no matter their background, lack of effort, concern, etc. and expect excellence from a cookie cutter curriculum-it isn't working and it will not work-ever!

• Can someone tell me how the majority of students in HISD are reading below grade level, yet 85% pass grade level readig test? So much for TAKS. Listen folks. The true measure of student learning and growth were found in the Stanford 10 test. The district has decided not to use this test for promotional standards. Reason? You cannot use fussy math to manipulate the figures. Dr. Grier understood this and decided to move the test from February to May. You may ask why? Results will not be available until the summer time. How many parents are watching in the summer time. Not Many. People you cannot hire a snake oil saleman and a spin master to run the 7th largest school district in the nation. Did you know that promotinal standards in HISD are two grade levels below his or her current grade. Please never talk about increasing rigor again Dr. Grier.

• Jason, Raw data is good.   It is important to be open and honest with the information.  I'd really like to see each subgroup (or at least by grade level) for schools.  But, I know that will be released eventually. As Houstonians, I think we all value all of our children and want to see them achieve.  That's why we care about the data in so far as it is somewhat of a reflection of these kids' future success.   Apollo is an enormous investment of resources--money, time, and energy--we deserve to know if it's working.  Millions and millions of dollars are being dedicated to Apollo, when other schools are being asked to cut back and do more.  There's a huge amount of stress on our campuses--which does not create a happy, secure learning environment.  We are worried and concerned about the future of public education in our city.  And we want to make sure we are doing right by those kids who need help the most, not just waving money at a problem. So my issue is in the interpretation of the numbers.  Low English scores are resulting in a call for a centralized literacy program, and I'm not sure that's supportable by the facts as presented.  It is that rigorous spin and twisting of the data to support an already established viewpoint to which I object, not the data itself.

• Responding to some questions/inaccuracies in the comments: HISD did not endorse the Texas Projection Measure. At yesterday's press conference, which the Houston Press attended, the Superintendent said the TPM was a disservice to parents who were misled into thinking some schools were excelling when that wasn't true. HISD is happy TPM has gone away. HISD has been transparent about the TAKS scores. We acknowledged up front that the reading scores are below expectations and we pledged to do something about it. We provided the media all the data up front and we did it before any other big-city district in Texas. In fact, I'm not aware of any district in Texas that released their scores before HISD. We released our entire data report before the Texas Education Agency released statewide data. We put out the information in a timely manner and we gave reporters free access to top HISD officials who patiently answered all their questions. No school district in Texas has been as open about the 2011 TAKS scores as HISD. We personally handed the Houston Press and other media outlets a packet that contained every school's individual scores. Here is a link to that document, which is posted on the HISD website: http://www.houstonisd.org/ResearchAccountability/Home/SP_TAKS/TAKSDistrictSummRpts/Memo2011TAKS%20Gr3-11Results%2052511.pdf Campus ratings are issued by the TEA, usually later in the summer.

• If you really want to know how our schools are performing you don't need these data.  Simply place an ad for job and see what comes your way.

• Data never tells the whole story.  Sure their were gains and losses in certain areas.  Regardless, significant gains toward closing the achievement gap were not achieved.   I feel sorry for these kids wasting time prepping for TAKS, while the students on the other side of the achievement gap could care less about TAKS.  Our kids take TAKS benchmark after TAKS benchmark so that HISD can tout a 1% or 9% gain depending on if you use last years standards or not.  This strategy is self-indulgent, not purposeful.   

• Holy crap, Jason. I just looked at the document you posted on Wednesday's story, and that thing is EMBARASSING. It looks like the new scoring system for ranking schools uses things like "facts" and "statistics" and "measurable data." The old system used what was called the "Texas Projection Methodology." Under that system, if a student was failing, you could look at him, squint your eyes, cross your fingers, fill your heart with hope, and say, "I think that student will pass in the future." Voila! The student is now reclassified from failing to passing! When HISD transitions from a faith-based system to a reality-based system for measuring student progress, the number of Exemplary schools in cut in HALF. I am glad to hear that year-over-year performance has not declined, and that is important, but, really dude. Texas Projection Methodology? Are the individual school rankings released anywhere yet?

• Mr. Spencer, remember this? "I’d never been involved in covering a school district with a “press secretary” until I came to work in Houston. Most other school districts use “public information officers.” There’s a difference. Public information officers serve as a clearinghouse for information. Their job is to get pertinent information to the media in a timely fashion and set up interviews. Press secretaries try to orchestrate media coverage to make their school districts look as good as possible."

• I think if you read the headline of the Houston Press article, it says the number of HISD recognized and exemplary schools went down.  It doesn't say anything about the overall scores, so I don't really feel that they're being inaccurate at all.  These scores are, at the very best interpretation, a mixed bag.  

• You are absolutely correct. Comparing this year's results to last year's is difficult because of changes in the state's system. When you run the numbers for 2010 and 2011 using this year's methodology, you see a 1 percentage point increase in the overall passing rate. When you run the numbers using the methodology employed by the state in 2010, you see a 9-point increase. Either way, however, you are looking at an increase in achievement. The Houston Press's reporting has given the false impression that scores declined.

• Oh look!  It's like my prediction is coming true...remember everybody, you heard it here first.   Mr. Spencer is here to assure us these are good scores.  You just have to look on the HISD website where they are touting math and science scores, but only for certain grades and certain subjects.  Nope, no cherrypicked data there.  Full and accurate disclosure!

• Mr. Spencer,  your old employer reported yesterday that the percentage of HISD students passing TAKS increased by only 1 point when all students were included.   Your "NINE POINTS!" claim excludes special education students.   If the public is to believe what your superintendent says, most of the special education students shouldn't even be classified as such according to the recent audit as many have been OVERIDENTIFIED.   So, stop spinning and start reporting HISD data in an accurate, fair, and balanced way.   You used to be good at it.

• A full day has passed since the Houston Press attended HISD's press conference announcing TAKS results, yet they haven't seen fit to publish them. Those who are interested in the actual data (the percentage of HISD students passing all TAKS subjects increased NINE POINTS!) can find it here:  http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=33ff9e528cc20310VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=1e236a23fcc4d210VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD

TotalComments: 15