The Timberlane School Board released its district report card on Friday, April 5. The 89 page document is a good look in the mirror. Let’s hope it is the start of meaningful improvement. Currently Timberlane taxpayers are paying the state average per pupil but getting significantly less than the state average in educational outcomes. Although I urge all my readers to take a look at the document, here are some points I found particularly interesting:
- Average cost per pupil in the district (2011-2012): $13,005, almost exactly the state average of $13,159.
- As the NECAP results show, Timberlane achievement seems to peak in middle school. Through high school, students become less proficient in math, science, reading and writing.*
- AP (Advanced Placement) test results in Timberlane are in serious need of improvement and hugely below the state level (page 75)
- SAT scores are significantly below state average (For the report, the state average has been stripped of private school SAT results.) (page 82)
- Alarmingly few 2012 graduates were accepted to top tier post-secondary institutions – not one Ivy League school. 3 to Northeastern, 1 to BU, 1 to Texas A&M, 1 to West Point – The 2012 class was 331 students. (pages 83-89)
The report card has one omission that I hope someone at the school board will explain. Although the 2011/2012 SAT scores have been out for a very long time, they are not included in this report.
Seeing ourselves clearly is the first step in improving. Poor schools cheat students of the productive future we all want for our children and the skills and talent the country desperately needs. We must do better.*
*UPDATE (April 9, 2012): There is cause for some guarded optimism. Dr. Metzler kindly forwarded me NECAP 2013 rankings for reading writing and math. Timberlane is above the state average and in some cases well above it. Science rankings are not available as the tests have not yet been conducted.
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