Testing Factors in Urban Schools

The Institute for Education and the Arts is posting an article on testing factors in urban school districts.

Diverse Populations in Urban Schools Add to Testing Difficulties
From the Providence Journal, September 22, 2006

While it is true that urban schools do, on average, score significantly lower on Rhode Island's tests, it is also true that it is harder for those schools to reach moderately or high-performing status. Because they have more diverse populations, urban schools must report the test scores of different subgroups of students if they have at least 45 such students in their schools. Suburban and rural schools often do not have 45 or more of these students, and therefore do not have to report those test scores as separate subgroups. Schools must meet all of their targets to make "adequate yearly progress" under No Child Left Behind and to receive a high-performing classification under the state accountability system. Of the 38 Rhode Island elementary and middle schools classified as making insufficient progress, 24 are in Providence and the rest are in four other urban districts. It seems unfair that urban districts already
facing the biggest challenges should also have the most to answer for, but educators say such scrutiny means minority, poor and special-education students can no longer be ignored. Read more at http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060922_target22.31a10a0.html .