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New school grades infuriate TPS superintendent

Tulsa Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard is so upset with his district's school grades that he is releasing them a day early.

The state's A-F School Report Cards are expected to be certified tomorrow in a special meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education.

Ballard tells KRMG he expects 36 of his schools to receive a letter grade of "F".

He anticipates having seven "A" schools, 10 "B," four "C" and 17 "D" schools.

"In my view, these grades are flawed and completely inconsequential," said Dr. Keith Ballard, superintendent. "They do not match up with the reality that parents, teachers and students see firsthand in our schools every day. To say that 36 of our schools and 1,066 teachers are deserving of an 'F' is ludicrous, especially given the progress we are making with our district's reform efforts."

Ballard offered six examples of TPS schools that got lower grades despite significant progress. Those schools are:

  • Burroughs Elementary: the new leader and teachers at this turnaround school knocked it out of the ballpark last year. They had some of the best gains in student proficiency in the District, if not the state.  Specifically, the number of student scoring proficient or better grew by 19%.
  • Hawthorne Elementary: the state deemed Hawthorne a failing school and lowered their grade, also had unparalleled growth last year.  The teachers and leader at this school grew the number of students scoring proficient or better by 18%.
  • Anderson Elementary:  amazing work took place at this turnaround school. Their new leader and teachers had a 13% gain in the number of students scoring proficient or better, and yet the state lowered their score.
  • Emerson Elementary: 15% overall increase in "Proficient and above."
  • Chouteau Elementary: 9% overall increase in "Proficient and above."
  • Kendall Whittier - 5% increase in "Proficient and above."

"You can imagine how demoralizing this is to teachers and principals who have worked so hard to achieve student achievement gains," said Dr. Ballard. "To suggest these teachers, their schools and students are deserving of an 'F' does nothing but pay lip service to their efforts."

Schools receiving an "A": Zarrow International, Carnegie, Eisenhower, Lanier and Grissom elementary schools; Carver Middle School; and Booker T. Washington High School.

Schools receiving a "B": Eliot, Patrick Henry, Lee and Salk elementary schools; Edison Preparatory Middle School and Thoreau Demonstration Academy; and Edison Preparatory High School, Memorial, Rogers and Webster High School.

Schools receiving a "C": Eugene Field, Lewis and Clark, Mayo Demonstration Academy and McLain High School.

Schools receiving a "D": Bell, Columbus, Cooper, Grimes, Hoover, Lindbergh, Owen, Penn, Remington, Springdale, Wright and Disney elementary schools; Monroe Demonstration Academy and Rogers Middle School; and Central, E. Central and Hale high schools.

Schools receiving an "F": Academy Central, Anderson, Burroughs, Celia Clinton, Chouteau, Emerson, Gilcrease, Hawthorne, Hamilton, Jackson, Jones, Kendall-Whittier, Kerr, Key, MacArthur, Marshall, McClure, McKinley, Mitchell, Park, Peary, Robertson, Sequoyah, Skelly Elementary, Project Accept, Mark Twain and Whitman elementary schools; Central, E. Central, Hale, McLain, Memorial, and Tulsa Met junior highs; Clinton and TRAICE middle schools; and Tulsa Met High School

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