Worst districts

Poor state scores hurt

Most low-ranking districts show some improvement

By Janet Naylor Vandenabeele and Jodi Upton / The Detroit News

    RICHMOND — It’s hard when your child comes home with an “F” on his report card. It’s even harder when your school district does the same.

    Richmond Supt. Patrick Bird strenuously objected to the classification of his district as one of seven “F” districts in The Detroit News’ School Report Card.

    “You’re saying we’re a failing district. I don’t agree with that at all,” he said.

    “This is a good district, and it’s reflected by the number of people who are moving out here.”

    Bird acknowledges his 1,950-student district faces problems with a higher-than-average dropout rate and low state test scores.

    But he noted that programs are already in place to improve student reading and lower class sizes, among other improvements aimed at raising state scores.

    Richmond’s test scores remained flat over three years when compared to other Metro Detroit districts.

    The scoring formula used by The News is fairly sensitive to changes in MEAP scores — meaning several districts got worse grades because of falling test scores. In a few cases, such as Richmond, the drop in test scores was enough to cause a significant drop in the overall score.

    Other Metro Detroit districts that earned an “F” were: Pontiac, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Wayne-Westland and Lincoln Park. All, however, showed some improvement in state test scores.

    Pontiac, Hamtramck and Highland Park all suffer urban woes similar to those in Detroit, but have fewer resources to compensate for social and economic issues that follow children from their homes to the classroom. Hamtramck is challenged further because many of its students are new to this country, and aren’t fluent in English.

    Two districts made it out of the cellar this year: New Haven and Van Buren schools both rose from last year’s “F” to a “D” this year.

    Martha Toth, whose two daughters just graduated from the Van Buren district as presidential merit scholars, was happy to hear the district had improved. But she said people should look at more than the index to grade a school.

    “A parent should look for the programs that will help their child, whether it’s gifted or sports or whatever,” said Toth, a school board member. “An overall score evens out the peaks and valleys and won’t tell you what it can do for an individual.”

You can reach Janet Naylor Vandenabeele at 313-222-2309 or jnaylor@detnews.com.