by Troy LaRaviere

Background

The members of the Administrator’s Alliance for Proven Policy and Legislation in Education (AAPPLE), have once again—unfortunately—found it necessary to attempt to hold Chicago Public Schools officials accountable. Ironically this time it is the CPS Office of Accountability that needs to answer to students, teachers, parents and school leaders across Chicago.

This office is responsible for developing and executing the system used for rating schools using CPS’s five-level “SQRP” system. However, an AAPPLE comparative analysis indicates the Office of Accountability altered the school level growth data used to assign those ratings.

Investigation

In August, AAPPLE analyzed NWEA MAP student growth results and discovered students in public schools were learning far more than their peers in charter schools. Our findings were published in a Chicago Sun-Times Op-Ed. In addition, the Sun-Times published its own independent analysis, which affirmed our findings. Our analysis was based on a…