State wants to rate schools on more than just test scores

State Department of Education officials said Wednesday they plan to seek federal approval to grade the state’s 1,150 public schools using more than just test scores.

The state agency wants to use student attendance rates as a criteria in the required school ratings in its next application for a waiver from the punitive requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The department wants to take into account whether a school’s chronic absenteeism rates are declining or increasing from year to year.

The state currently rates elementary and middle schools using only the scores on state standardized tests and whether they improve from year to year. High school ratings recently began using graduation rates.

The ratings are used by the State Department of Education to target schools for state intervention and additional resources. Parents are able to review their child’s school rating here.

The state’s current waiver to the requirements of No Child Left Behind Act expires at the end of this school year.