1. The Value Added measurement was designed to help IMPROVE report card scores for down and out schools like Youngstown that may have students who are years behind and aren't likely to catch up to their grade level proficiency in just one year, but as long as they make a year's progress from where they were last year, the school will score well in the value added section. If Youngstown has 9th graders operating at a 6th grade level and in one year they couldn't move them to a seventh grade level, setting aside entirely hopes of getting them to a 10th grade level, something is seriously, magnificently wrong.
2. There are many thousands of students who live within the city limits but attend school outside of Youngstown via open enrollment or in charter academies. Those students might very well, had they stayed in Youngstown schools, scored well on the state tests, significantly boosting Youngstown's report card. Further, without their exodus, millions of dollars in open enrollment funds and charter school vouchers wouldn't have left the city school system. It's a vicious cycle that puts Youngstown in a very difficult position.
Still it's not much of an excuse for being the absolute worst school in the state. Other urban districts face the same kinds of hardships and don't perform so miserably.
Bottom line: Raises any time in the next decade should be out of the question. And asking for even more levy money would be an insult to taxpayers. I say let the state take over the finances AND the education. They can't possibly do worse than the homegrown folks running the show.
How many of those students will withdraw all of their classes before the drop date? How many years will it take them to graduate? If on average a student at Ohio University graduates in 5 years and pays $18,000 a year, and a student at YSU graduates in 6 years and pays $15,000 a year, which is really the better deal? Those aren't real statistics, but you get the point I'm making. There are so many ways for administrators to "cook the books" and make things look good. But they never accurately represent the situation when things are looking bad. I doubt there were too many negative comments from administrators back in 2000 when enrollment was at an all-time low. Lesson learned: trust little that comes out of anyone's mouths.
Traficant bash becomes a hot ticket despite expectation he won’t show
My bad. I was thinking Anthony's on the River
August 26, 2009 at 7:17 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Youngstown falls to worst in state
Two points, one negative, one positive:
1. The Value Added measurement was designed to help IMPROVE report card scores for down and out schools like Youngstown that may have students who are years behind and aren't likely to catch up to their grade level proficiency in just one year, but as long as they make a year's progress from where they were last year, the school will score well in the value added section. If Youngstown has 9th graders operating at a 6th grade level and in one year they couldn't move them to a seventh grade level, setting aside entirely hopes of getting them to a 10th grade level, something is seriously, magnificently wrong.
2. There are many thousands of students who live within the city limits but attend school outside of Youngstown via open enrollment or in charter academies. Those students might very well, had they stayed in Youngstown schools, scored well on the state tests, significantly boosting Youngstown's report card. Further, without their exodus, millions of dollars in open enrollment funds and charter school vouchers wouldn't have left the city school system. It's a vicious cycle that puts Youngstown in a very difficult position.
Still it's not much of an excuse for being the absolute worst school in the state. Other urban districts face the same kinds of hardships and don't perform so miserably.
Bottom line: Raises any time in the next decade should be out of the question. And asking for even more levy money would be an insult to taxpayers. I say let the state take over the finances AND the education. They can't possibly do worse than the homegrown folks running the show.
August 26, 2009 at 2:37 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Traficant bash becomes a hot ticket despite expectation he won’t show
Debate Traficant all you like, but bringing 1,000 people downtown(ish) can't be all that bad.
August 26, 2009 at 2:13 a.m. permalink suggest removal
YSU enrollment continues to rise
How many of those students will withdraw all of their classes before the drop date? How many years will it take them to graduate? If on average a student at Ohio University graduates in 5 years and pays $18,000 a year, and a student at YSU graduates in 6 years and pays $15,000 a year, which is really the better deal? Those aren't real statistics, but you get the point I'm making. There are so many ways for administrators to "cook the books" and make things look good. But they never accurately represent the situation when things are looking bad. I doubt there were too many negative comments from administrators back in 2000 when enrollment was at an all-time low. Lesson learned: trust little that comes out of anyone's mouths.
August 25, 2009 at 5:11 p.m. permalink suggest removal