Friday, Jan. 20, 2017

Contact:

Chantal Lovell
Media Relations Manager
989-698-1914

MIDLAND — Today the state of Michigan’s School Reform Office released its 2016 Top-to-Bottom school rankings that assess schools based on average student test scores. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s Director of Education Policy, Ben DeGrow, issued the following statement in response to the state’s list:

Accountability is needed for schools that consistently fail to educate students. But the most serious sanctions should be reserved for those that are failing to demonstrate needed progress to beat the odds.

The 38 schools that have appeared in the bottom 5 percent of the state’s rankings for three straight years are subject to be closed or face major intervention. Six of those schools received non-failing grades – including two Cs and one A – on the latest edition of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s Context and Performance Report Card.

Earlier this month, the Mackinac Center released the 2016 edition of its high school report card, which like the earlier elementary and middle school report card, adjusts multiple years of test scores based on student poverty. By considering both achievement results and the challenges students face, these report cards provide a more thorough picture of how schools are actually performing. The searchable databases can be accessed here.

To set up an interview with DeGrow, please contact:

Chantal Lovell
Media Relations Manager
989-698-1914

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