Jeb Bush had this big idea about how to hold schools accountable: Give them a letter grade based mostly on their test scores. The schools with high grades can bask in their success, and the schools with low grades will get a warning, maybe some extra help, but if they fail to get higher grades, they can be closed and turned over to charter operators. Nice way to combine testing and privatization.
But, it turns out that the test scores mostly measure family income, so the letter grades measure family income. Instead of showing whether a school is high quality or low quality, the grades simply reflect the wealth or poverty of the community. But you knew that without giving a test.
Mercedes Schneider observes the same phenomenon in the latest letter grades in Louisiana. Then she looks around and finds that every state that uses letter grading of schools is getting the same results.
If you already know the income level of the community, you could just skip the tests and hand out the grades. Rich neighborhoods get an A, and poor neighborhoods get an F.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
If not now, WHEN..
Will it be time, to STOP using the currency of charlatans-SCORES and GRADES
The “blame the victim” coin…
Heads-You’re poor ’cause you’re stupid.
Tails- You’re stupid ’cause you’re poor.
Then again, If one has/had been “proofed” by the scores and grades flag,
“poofing” the flag would “poof” the proof, hence the score/grade
hamster wheel.
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EXCELLENT summation: the hamster wheel, forever turning
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Sounds like the same meritocracy game that’s been historically played as a part of our school system. By game, I mean nonsense.
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If there were more detailed demographic data, then I think the correlation might be even stronger with parent education level. But parent education level tends to correlate with higher income.
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Let’s put it another way. Kids from backgrounds that tend to provide a rich opportunity for learning come with more tools for success on standardized tests that are designed to assess that background. Du-uh! Doesn’t it stand to reason that schools and communities that are able to provide a rich, supportive environment for their students and their families are more likely to give vulnerable children and families more of a chance to thrive? Quit punishing communities that are resource poor and “level the playing field.”
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and a side look at who CREATES the tests: employees from stable economic and culturally comfortable backgrounds writing up tests based on their own understanding of how life works and what knowledge should be….
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I’ve said for years–if we “have” to “grade” schools, save the money on the stupid tests, line up each school by poverty rate, and assign the “grades,” because that’s all these dumb things show.
Especially in Utah, we could really use the money from the testing to go to other things.
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Letter grades for schools based on their test scores are little different from SAT or ACT test scores. The thing they all measure best is family income.
We’ve known this for a long time.
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This just in! Family income predicts success in school!
And here’s another shocking development: this is a feature and not a bug! If affluent parents are not subjected to the adverse consequences of the test-and-punish “reforms” they will often accept the inconvenience of having their child’s instruction interrupted by the standardized tests used to determine “success”. Nor will they live in fear that their neighborhood school will close…. Meanwhile politicians can claim they are providing equity without having to raise taxes.
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