Category: Current Events & News

Hello, my name is Dontia Dyson and I am here to talk about House Bill 1498 because I believe our schools have to be accountable to the children they serve.  

I’ve advocated at IPS board meetings for years, all because I wanted to see the district make choices based on data. I wanted to see them hold schools accountable and make decisions on which schools to grow based on which schools were closing the achievement gap and giving kids a quality education. 

While I know the district has done a lot of great things, I am hoping that this bill will enable you all to take a closer look and listen to parents like me who have asked for results for years. I wouldn’t be here if things were great. I wouldn’t be here if all our public schools were performing at a level that was helping our kids thrive.   

But I will say that there are CLEARLY schools that are closing the academic gap…schools like Paramount that parents like me have asked to be replicated for years because they are doing a really great job of helping our children who struggle the most —-yet, nothing has been done.  

I have also advocated here at the statehouse and with the State Board of Education in favor of A-F grades for school accountability. Everyone knows what an A grade means, what a B means, what a C means, and so on. I want to see A-F retained and updated to be current.  

Speaking specifically to this bill, I also want an achievement gap or opportunity gap measure to be taken into account with these grades. Parents like me need to be able to review how a school is doing and easily understand if they are helping low-income children achieve at the same rate as their peers.    

I learned about A-F before the pandemic and the hold-harmless that have made those grades mean little. And as a parent, it helped me. It helped me at the time find a school for my daughter. It’s also helped me advocate for change in schools that are struggling. It would help me even more if our grades also considered the achievement gap in our schools – because if a school is only able to teach its most affluent populations, it’s not an equitable school.  

I am a fighter for my kids. I’ve done all I know how…toured schools with board members, had 1:1’s, spoken at meetings, sent emails and letters, held petitions… I am hoping this bill can become the answer to all that work and that it makes sure our kids have great schools to go to and that schools that are receiving bad letter grades year after year have to do something to turn it around.  

The bottom line for me as a parent is simple: are schools providing a quality education for our kids? If they aren’t, there needs to be measures and consequences that result in real change. I hope to see one of those measures be achievement gap data that helps determine our A-F grades. Thank you. 

Good morning Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.  

My Name is Noemi Oliva and I am here because I want to make sure our schools are accountable. I speak Spanish so I have brought my friend Carolina with me, who is going to read my story in English.  

 My daughter is in the 4^th grade, and I thought for the last two quarters that she was doing well. I only recently learned through my niece who works at the school that my daughter is in danger of being held back. I was shocked to learn this information but also upset that I didn’t have transparency from the school about how my daughter was doing. It made me think about the type of school she needs to make sure she stays on track. Now, that I may be looking for a new school for her, I am not sure where to look without A-F in place.   

I want to find a good school for her. A school where students who look like her are doing well. A school where all students are learning and getting a good education. A school that is transparent about how kids are doing.   

Right now, as I look for another option for my daughter, it is hard to tell which options are good or which ones are bad because it is not easy information to access. I just go off word of mouth.    

Before COVID, there was an A-F system that was usable and that was very helpful for parents like me. I would like that system to be used again, not only for parents like me but so that action can be taken if a school is failing for a long time. I want A-F to consider if kids who look like mine and kids who are low-income are doing well.   

I want this system to tell me what schools are doing the best job helping the lowest performing students catch up. And I want the state to do something about schools that fail or get an “F” grade for too long. While I know this can be tough, possibly closing a school, I think that is better than allowing a school to struggle with no actions taken.   

Thank you for listening to me and for thinking about how we can improve our public schools.   

Buenos días, miembros de la comisión. 

Mi nombre es Noemí Oliva y estoy aquí porque quiero asegurarme de que nuestras escuelas sean responsables. Hablo español, así que he traído a mi amiga Carolina, que va a leer mi cuento en inglés. 

Mi hija está en 4º grado, y durante los últimos dos trimestres pensé que le estaba yendo bien. Recientemente me enteré a través de mi sobrina, que trabaja en la escuela, que mi hija está en peligro de ser retenida. Me sorprendió enterarme de esta información, pero también me molestó que la escuela no me mostrara transparente sobre cómo le estaba yendo a mi hija. Me hizo pensar en el tipo de escuela que necesita para asegurar de mantenerse en un buen camino. Ahora, estoy en el proceso de buscar una nueva escuela para ella, no estoy seguro de dónde buscar sin las calificaciones de escuelas como A-F. 

Quiero encontrar una buena escuela para ella. Una escuela en la que a los alumnos que se parecen a ella les va bien. Una escuela donde todos los estudiantes aprenden y reciben una buena educación. Una escuela que es transparente sobre cómo les va a los niños. 

En este momento, mientras busco otra opción para mi hija, es difícil decir qué opciones son buenas o cuáles son malas porque no es información fácil de acceder. Solo me guio de la lo que la gente dice.  

Antes del COVID, había un sistema A-F que era utilizable y que era muy útil para los padres como yo. Me gustaría que ese sistema se volviera a utilizar, no solo para padres como yo, sino para que se puedan tomar medidas si una escuela está fracasando durante mucho tiempo. Quiero que A-F considere si a los niños que se parecen a los míos y a los niños de bajos ingresos les está yendo bien. 

Quiero que este sistema me diga qué escuelas están haciendo el mejor trabajo para ayudar a los estudiantes de más bajo rendimiento a ponerse al día. Y quiero que el estado haga algo con respecto a las escuelas que reprueban o obtienen una calificación de “F” durante demasiado tiempo. Aunque esto puede ser difícil, posiblemente cerrar una escuela, creo que es mejor que permitir que una escuela luche sin tomar medidas.   

Gracias por escucharme y por pensar en cómo podemos mejorar nuestras escuelas públicas.