Sample Letters to the Editor in the New York Times on Report Cards for Schools
November 10, 2007
A School Is More Than an A, B or C
1. To the Editor:
Re “50 City Schools Get Failing Grade in a New System” (front page, Nov. 6):
Grading schools is as absurd as grading students. The criteria for both are equally detrimental to achieving the goals of a truly useful education: self-awareness, an engaged citizenry and the skills necessary to generate meaningful, dignified work.
Until we address the core societal conditions that now make such goals unattainable for the vast majority, there is little hope that obfuscating parlor tricks like high-stakes testing, free cellphones for every child and schoolwide report cards will serve as successful incentives.
Roland Legiardi-Laura
New York, Nov. 6, 2007
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2. To the Editor:
Why use an A-to-F format to grade an entire school, when educators are moving away from that kind of a report card for our children because it is insufficient? Why use more high-pressure tests that don’t really gauge the students’ ability or the quality of the school?
Our public schools are full of highly motivated, creative teachers. They are often beaten down by large class sizes, lack of support, and more and more testing.
I urge all parents to ignore these report cards.
Ray Franks
New York, Nov. 6, 2007
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3. To the Editor:
Report card grades are based mainly on test scores. This means progress is measured by a single score on a single test on a single day.
Parents want more. We want to know if our children are reading more books; if their understanding is deeper; if they ask intelligent questions; if they are curious and creative; and if they can work cooperatively. No test score will give us this information. Learning is complex, and assessments should be, too.
Jane Hirschmann
New York, Nov. 5, 2007
