Making the Grade: Excellent Schools Detroit Scorecard Arms Parents with Data for Quality School Choice

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Aug 07, 2013, 12:01 ET

DETROIT, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Excellent Schools Detroit has released its 2013 Scorecard, providing in-depth, side by side comparison of Detroit schools along a multitude of measures. The Scorecard now includes grades to help parents and students make sense of Detroit's more than 200 schools and find the best fit for their child.

Excellent Schools Detroit recommends parents and students select schools graded C+ or better because these schools will generally prepare students for success in college, career and community. Approximately one in four Detroit schools meet this standard with 51 schools earning a C+ or better or promising.

"We're pleased that we can finally draw a bright line between good schools that we'd recommend and those that are not good enough," said Dan Varner, chief executive officer, Excellent Schools Detroit. "Our kids deserve a quality education and we finally have apples to apples comparisons to help parents make informed school choice decisions."

The Scorecard reviewed 204 public, charter, private and parochial schools serving Detroit students and provided a grade for 149 schools, nearly 75 percent. Those that did not receive a grade are either too new or are "fresh start" schools, schools that are starting over by mandate of the State of Michigan.

This marks the fourth time Excellent Schools Detroit has issued its annual Scorecard. The 2013 issue is the first time that schools will receive a grade, making it easier for parents to assess schools. Additionally, the report accounts for multiple measures that parents and students indicate are important to them in selecting a school.

"Detroit's been waiting for this moment to fully understand how our schools rank, not just against each other, but in measuring up to established excellence standards," Varner said. "Right now, 25 percent of our schools are going to help our children succeed. Now we need to bring everyone else up to that level. The bar has been set."

Excellent Schools Detroit developed these grades for parents and students to know more than just how a school performed on state standardized tests. Status, how proficient students are on state standardized tests, and progress, how much students are learning over the course of a school year, account for 70 percent of a school's grade. Thirty percent of the grade rests on school climate, which is determined in two ways. Excellent Schools Detroit research partners surveyed 35,000 students in fourth grade and above and 3,500 teachers to find out how they feel about five essential attributes at their schools. These Detroit 5Essentials – effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment and ambitious instruction – are backed by several decades of research at the University of Chicago and provide an indicator of whether a school is positioned to improve. Additionally, more than 400 Detroit parents, educators and community members participated in school reviews earlier this year. Finally, the grades take into consideration extra challenges faced by schools and students who are in low-income communities, are learning English and/or have different or special abilities. A final grade is the combination of status, progress, climate and extra credit.

Detailed information on every school in the Scorecard is available on http://scorecard.excellentschoolsdetroit.org.

About Excellent Schools Detroit
Excellent Schools Detroit was formed in 2010 by a coalition of philanthropic, education, community and civic leaders with an important mission: an excellent education for every Detroit child, from cradle to career, by 2020. To that end, Excellent Schools Detroit produces an annual Scorecard, which grades schools across a multitude of excellence measures, to help Detroit parents and community make an informed school choice. The organization convenes individuals and organizations across multiple sectors as the Detroit community collectively works to achieve excellence in education.

SOURCE Excellent Schools Detroit