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MEAP Report Card Errors Anger Schools

DEARBORN — Western Wayne County schools are fuming still over the errors made in compiling the list of failing schools by the Michigan Department of Education.

Dearborn and Allen Park districts are among several that identified errors that would have removed schools from the failing list. Schools that are considered failing face losing state accreditation.

Last May, Dearborn received word that five schools were on the list. District officials made corrections, which reduced the number to one school, but the state added an additional eight schools.

The number finally was reduced to two schools — Lowrey and Stout middle schools — after state officials made some last-minute corrections the night before the list was set to be released, Dearborn Schools spokesman David Mustonen.

Allen Park was not as fortunate.

Allen Park High School appealed the failing result and was told the error would be corrected. A check of the state’s failing list Wednesday showed the school still appears on the list.

School officials are calling for the state to issue a retraction because the impact is so damaging.

“We have always been a high-performing MEAP school, and we look at our data very carefully to improve our programs. It was devastating,” said Janet McBurney, Allen Park High School principal. “I would suggest there are others that are equally as frustrated that their appeal wasn’t granted or the data wasn’t correct. We don’t know how many other schools are in the same position.”

State education spokesman Martin Ackley said Allen Park High School’s listing was a programming error.

Mustonen said his district is not pointing any fingers at the state, because they simply don’t have enough resources to deal with the massive amount of work. Still, had the incorrect results been released, it would have been damaging, he said.

“It’s very frustrating because the impact this release would have on our district is very difficult to recover from once the correction is made. The frustration comes with information being released knowing that it’s incorrect.

“We’re not afraid of being held accountable. We’ll answer to every state and federal mandate, but we do ask that it be represented in a fair way.”

Debbie Malyn, who has a daughter at Stout Middle School, said a failing grade doesn’t measure how well a school educates children. Stout is one of the schools that remained on the list, but Malyn said she’s pleased with the education her daughter receives.

“It’s an unfair label on a school,” Malyn said. “It’s too narrow of a measure of a school. There’s a lot more to education. I have total confidence in the school. Parents have to go in and get to know the administration. I’d never trust a published grade.”

The state released its much-anticipated report card last month for the first time since education officials approved the system in 2002.

You can reach Darren A. Nichols at (313) 561-8146 or dnichols@detnews.com.



— Darren A. Nichols
MEAP report card errors anger schools
Detroit News
2004-02-12
http://www.detnews.com/2004/schools/0402/12/c03-62017.htm

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