Letter: Let school letter grades die

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Hallelujah! Finally someone has proposed a school grading system that seems to make sense ("Guv's office offers new school grading," April 23). Well done, Gov. Herbert and your education adviser, Tami Pyfer.

The proposed system would post information on how a school is progressing toward state leaders' education goals. It would show actual data such as graduation rates, overall performance on state tests and facts that are useful for parents and school patrons.

The letter grade system for schools that was unveiled last fall was an absolute failure. It told parents nothing and was quickly ignored. The tweaks that were done in the 2014 legislative session will not save this flawed system.

Giving a single grade to a school makes about as much sense as giving a single grade to a student — averaging out chemistry, P.E., psychology, math and English into a single grade. Or averaging the grades that various organizations give the Legislature every year into a single letter grade.

So kudos for proposing a school grading system that makes sense and conveys helpful information. Let's hope the Legislature will implement this enlightening idea.

Sheryl Allen

North Salt Lake