A wise man once told me to never submit a letter to the editor as it was a lose-lose proposition, and I have never done so—until now. I feel the need to respond to Louise Abelon’s letter in the March 7 edition, as it seemed her words diminished a hard earned accomplishment made by Birch Grove Community School students, staff and parents.
Currently, Birch Grove Community School (BGCS) has 18 K-5 students and two teachers. That makes a student to teacher ratio of 1:9, not 1:4. Is this a desirable ratio for parents, students and teachers? Yes, I believe it is. Is this a challenge when it comes to funding? Yes, I believe it is.
Does this mean that “the lower number of students tested the greater the chance you will have better MCA results”? Debatable.
It is not necessarily true that low numbers of students tested is equivalent to good MCA scores. For small schools with a low testing population, such as BGCS, 100 percent proficiency is within the realm of possibilities; however, it is also within that same realm of possibilities that the school could receive a big, fat 0 percent.
Schools with greater numbers of students testing will probably never score100 percent proficient, but they wouldn’t receive a score of 0 percent proficiency either, simply because of the larger number of students being tested.
Also in the realm of possibilities for small schools, is the possibility that special education students (or another demographic for that matter) could comprise 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent or even 100 percent of contributing scores–this would not likely happen with a larger testing population.
Because of the low number of students tested, BGCS scores have the potential to swing wildly from one end of the spectrum to the other any given year. As such, yes, we have celebrated three years of consistent, high proficiency MCA scores. We also know that this may not always be the case, and so we celebrate today!
Louise, I am sure that when working with your students at Cook County School District 166 as a Special Education teacher, you reinforce successes and celebrate your students’ accomplishments, great and small, because that is what educators do—promote growth and positively reinforce it whenever possible. Thank you to all of the educators at Oshki Ogimaag, Great Expectations, Cook County Schools and Birch Grove Community School.
Take pride in what you do and yes, celebrate your successes!
Diane Blanchettte
Former Director of
Birch Grove Community School
Current BGCS Board Member
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