Last week the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) released two reports that gauge the effectiveness of school districts. These are just two of the multiple measures available to parents to compare schools across the state.

The first report was the list of Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) schools. This list includes schools that post standardized test scores in reading and math that fall in the lowest 5% of all schools tested in Michigan. The list is published as a requirement of federal No Child Left Behind legislation. No Dearborn schools appear on this list.

The second report, the Top-to-Bottom list, categorizes over 3,000 Michigan schools by percentile rank. The final number given to a district is determined through a complex formula based on student proficiency, achievement, academic growth and achievement gap* in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies, and graduation rate for high school buildings.

Several Dearborn schools saw a dip in their 2011 rank. This includes schools that met federal Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements, received an A or B grade from the state, and, in some instances, outperformed county and state averages. However, even a slight dip in achievement scores can have negative effects on the rankings. Another concern, especially for district elementary schools, is the gap between general population and sub-group achievement. Several Dearborn schools have seen unprecedented growth in economically disadvantaged, English Language Learner and Special Education sub-groups.

Almost three quarters of Dearborn students currently qualify for free and reduced lunch programs. The English Language Learner population is over 8,500 students, and over 2,100 students qualify for special needs services.

"I want to thank our staff for doing a great job under some very difficult and tough circumstances; however, there are no excuses," said Dearborn Superintendent Brian Whiston.

The district remains committed to closing the achievement gap and improving on all measures of student success. This will be done by integrating research based interventions into teaching, providing quality professional development to staff, and a district-wide focus on literacy and numeracy. These and other efforts will improve instructions at all grade levels and ensure that Dearborn graduates are properly prepared for their futures.

"All schools face challenges that are unique to their community but we will not let these factors keep us from doing our job and delivering the differentiated instruction that each student needs to be successful in the classroom," Whiston added.

*(the difference in the achievement of all students and those students in subgroups)