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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2005 > August > 29 > Entry
Public schools outdo charters
By Scott Elliott
Dayton Daily News
A surge in test performance by students in the city school district helped them pull further ahead from kids attending charter schools.
A Dayton Daily News analysis shows charter schools serving Dayton students performed poorly compared to the city school district, one of the worstrated districts in Ohio.
None of the 28 charter school were rated excellent or effective — the top two rating categories. Many charters, about 39 percent, got no rating, while another 40 percent were rated in academic emergency, the lowest category.
Schools might not get ratings for several reasons, usually because they have less than 10 students in grades that are tested.
For the school district, about 47 percent of its 34 schools are in academic emergency, but another 44 percent are in the middle category, continuous improvement.
On math and reading tests, charter schools are more commonly found at the bottom than at the top when compared with schools from the district. And just 25 percent of the charters that were rated made “adequate yearly progress� under the fed- eral No Child Left Behind law, while 50 percent of the district’s schools met AYP.
Some good news
The testing news was not all bleak for charter schools. Two schools from the Richard Allen chain of charters performed well across all tests and were the topranked elementary schools in the district.
“We are really delighted and encouraged with the progress made so far,� Richard Allen superintendent Mike McCormick said. “I think it is very important to remember we will be judged ultimately by our ability to be ranked as an excellent or effective school and school district.�
Looking at four tests — thirdgrade reading, fourth-grade math and sixth-grade reading and math — the Richard Allen schools are the only charters that ranked in the top five scorers. Among the bottom five, charters were more prevalent.
Charmaine Trayvick said test scores were not on her mind when she went school shopping for her son Caesar Dillard five years ago.
She went to a school expo and ended up chatting with the principal of Richard Allen’s Edgemont campus. Her energy impressed Trayvick, who choose the school after observing a kindergarten class during a visit.
“These children were reading in kindergarten and they just seemed to be having such a good time,� she said. “It was so familyoriented.�
Caesar is now in fourth grade and was a top scorer on the state proficiency test. Trayvick has no regrets about trying charter schools.
“Its been wonderful,� she said. “I have really enjoyed being an involved parent at Richard Allen.� Some charters shine
Terry Ryan, vice president of the pro-charter Fordham Foundation, said charters are progressing.
“It’s clear from this year’s results that some charter schools are really starting to show the way,� he said. “Many others are muddling along and the hope for their break-out year has to wait another year. A few appear hopeless and should close.�
The district again saw stellar performance from Stivers School for the Arts, a consistent gem. But the new Dayton Early College Academy, an experimental high school on the campus of the University of Dayton, even outperformed Stivers. Those were the only district schools in the top two rating categories.
Most of the district’s schools made gains from last year, with Patterson-Kennedy, Webster and Franklin elementary schools seeing double-digit growth. Only Dayton View Academy and Academy of Dayton — both charters — had double-digit losses.
“With Dayton View, clearly we had a disappointing performance year,â€? said Richard Barth, president of the Edison Schools’ division that oversees its two local campuses.
Edison, a management company, also runs the Dayton Academy. Barth said a principal change at mid-year hampered Dayton View.
“Looking at the Dayton Academy, they’re on track to raising levels of achievement,’ � he said. “We are confident Dayton View will get back on track this year.�
Ryan said Dayton’s test gains were, in part, the result of competition from charters.
“There is solid evidence in the numbers that the Dayton Public Schools are starting to turn the corner and are now making real academic gains,� he said. “This focus on academic achievement, spurred on by the competitive pressures of charters and recent changes in state and federal law, is good for Dayton and its children. But a lot of work remains to be done on all sides.�
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