Letter: By any measure, Westport schools need to do better

Posted 3/21/18

To the editor:

The approval of the new high school represents an opportunity for Westport to improve the education we provide.

The 2016 Town Report, page 186, states that Westport student SAT …

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Letter: By any measure, Westport schools need to do better

Posted

To the editor:

The approval of the new high school represents an opportunity for Westport to improve the education we provide.

The 2016 Town Report, page 186, states that Westport student SAT scores are below state averages. Page 188 includes a list of 44 colleges that accepted Westport High School graduates, but only three of these colleges made the 2016 Wall Street Journal Top 100 listing. The use of “college acceptances” can significantly overstate the quality of our high school graduates in that a single good student could account for all three of the best colleges and universities on the list of acceptances. A list of colleges and universities where Westport students are enrolled would be a better measure. Why was such a list not used?

The Westport superintendent of schools has provided a detailed and lengthy analysis on our school system, 36 pages, in the 2016 Town Report, with little performance information. School system reports should include performance information, because performance will never improve without recognizing and monitoring the problem, and we do have a problem. Just look at the 2017 US News & World Report on Massachusettss high schools, which lists Westport at 33.4/100 in terms of college readiness.

Quality instruction and rigorous courses of study are the primary components for excellence in education. I have learned to recognize a good or bad teacher/course from experience. Do we ask current Westport students to rate their teachers and courses? If we do, what are the results? It is essential that teacher effectiveness and curriculum quality be measured, and corrective measures taken when warranted. Let’s not continue with below average student outcomes.

My greatest concern is that the poor performance of the Westport School System is known to teachers, administrators, and the school board. They have chosen to not address this issue publicly, but it can be found in the Westport Town Reports for 2010 thru 2016. There is a “routine” loss of students between the 8th and 9th grades, which averages about 33%. This was briefly mentioned during the March 5 focus group discussions regarding the requirements for the next school superintendent, and only one time. It was never quantified, or the subject of discussion.

Let’s discuss school system performance in quantifiable terms. Westport citizens have authorized almost $100 million in new school spending, and we deserve better information than we have been receiving.

Elliot F. Whipple

Westport

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