Does it surprise you to learn that a State with many large schools districts that are segregated, in need of creating phony credits to “graduate” students, that keeps bullies, drug dealers and violent students in the classroom as policy, is 42nd in the nation? It was to me—California should be 50th.
“The component scores show that California earns a C in “chance for success,” earning a ranking of 41st. The average state earns a C-plus. When “chance for success” is broken down into its own components, California received a C in “early foundation,” which helps a child get off to a good start. The state ranks 49th there, the national average is a B-minus.
For the years between pre-kindergarten and post-secondary education, California performs at C-minus, and ranks 33rd in the nation. The national average is a C-plus.
Adult outcomes represent the final segment of “chances for success, and includes post-secondary educational attainment and workforce factors. The state earns a C and ranks 30th, compared to a national grade of C-plus.”
Made the now wide spread use of Common Core will give us the right to call ourselves the worst next year? A well deserve award.
California Schools Below Average in National Comparison
By Ron McNicoll, The Independent, 1/12/17
California received a C-minus and a national ranking of 42nd in the newest annual report card on U.S. education compiled by researchers at Education Week, a weekly newspaper focusing on education.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included in the rankings. Education Week represents one of several endeavors of Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), a nonprofit organization EPE started its research wing in 1997 to conduct studies such as the annual surveys of the states, under the title Quality Counts.
A composite score derived from three categories determine the ranking. One, “chance for success,” derives from data on early childhood education, education in the K-12 years, and data about the level of success by students after graduation.
Another component of the overall score shows how well a state has done on school finance, including the distribution of revenue for education and expenditures per pupil.
The third component of the study focuses on K-12 achievement. It assesses the performance of a state’s public schools according to 18 indicators. Among them are most recently available achievement levels (2016 in this instance), improvement over time, and poverty-based gaps.
The component scores show that California earns a C in “chance for success,” earning a ranking of 41st. The average state earns a C-plus. When “chance for success” is broken down into its own components, California received a C in “early foundation,” which helps a child get off to a good start. The state ranks 49th there, the national average is a B-minus.
For the years between pre-kindergarten and post-secondary education, California performs at C-minus, and ranks 33rd in the nation. The national average is a C-plus.
Adult outcomes represent the final segment of “chances for success, and includes post-secondary educational attainment and workforce factors. The state earns a C and ranks 30th, compared to a national grade of C-plus.
In school finance, California was listed at 43rd with an F grade, compared to the D national average. However, in part of the breakdown of the finance category, California ranks 11th, and earns a B-plus with the national average a B. That category is equity in distributing funding across districts in each state.
On its web site, Education Week provides historical and current context about two changes in education.
One, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed by Congress in 2015. The Common Core standards that have generated some controversy nationally are part of that act. California and most other states have adopted Common Core, and are expected to be ready to move into the standards fully in the 2017-18 school year.
The other new situation relates to the coming shift in administrations this month in Washington. Education Week says that the new administration “may have its own details about how the new law (ESSA) plays out on the ground.”
The education newspaper writes that the Quality Counts survey results paint a somewhat stagnant picture of the nation’s schools overall, with spot improvements, and declines in particular states. For the third consecutive year, the nation receives a C grade, a score of 74 out of 100 in the total of the key indicators.
The national rankings leader for the third consecutive year is Massachusetts, with a B, and an 86 score. Five other states also received a B. They are New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland and Connecticut.
At the bottom of the scale, Nevada ranked lowest as one of three states with a D score. The other two were Mississippi and New Mexico.
The Education Web site is at http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html?intc=main-topnav
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