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Read the press release here.

Goodbye, School Letter Grades. Hello, 'Qualitative' Reviews

By Amy Zimmer | October 1, 2014 5:05pm
 Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña greets audience members after making a speech Oct. 1, 2014, at Sunset Park's P.S. 503/506, where she announced the end of school letter grades.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña greets audience members after making a speech Oct. 1, 2014, at Sunset Park's P.S. 503/506, where she announced the end of school letter grades.
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DNAinfo/Amy Zimmer

SUNSET PARK — New York City's public schools will no longer receive A-to-F letter grades, Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced during a speech at Sunset Park's P.S. 503/506 on Wednesday.

Many parents came to rely on the letter grades, instituted by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, when making decisions about their kids' education. But Fariña said the grades were not necessarily accurate measures of what was happening inside classrooms, so she decided to do away with them.

"Schools have unique qualities that cannot be captured in a letter grade," Fariña said. "They are not restaurants."

Instead, the Department of Education will use more qualitative measures to show a school's progress, starting with new "school quality snapshots" that will be released this fall for parents with easy-to-read information on student progress, achievement and school environment.

There will also be a more in-depth "school quality guide" with enrollment and demographic information, based on years worth of data, which will list areas where the school is doing well and areas needing improvement.

The goal is to make information more accessible to families and let them determine which factors matter most to them when evaluating a school, DOE officials said. The letter grades sometimes prevented parents from having deeper conversations or being "inquisitive" about schools, officials added.

The information in the new reports will be based on a "quality review" conducted during a formal school visit by a superintendent or other education expert, as well as test scores and feedback from teachers, parents and students on school surveys (which will be revamped in January).

The new version of the school surveys will focus on six "essential elements" that Fariña believes are the best indicators of student quality.

Here are the six criteria and the types of questions school communities will be asked starting in early 2015 to gauge their quality:

1. Rigorous instruction

Teachers will be asked to answer questions about their methodology, including whether they strengthen students' understanding of narrative text through meaningful connections to their personal experiences.

Students (in grades 6 through 12) will be asked whether they respect each other's ideas and whether most students participate in class discussions.

2. Supportive environment

Do students feel safe around the school, in the hallways, bathroom, cafeteria and classrooms?

Do parents think students feel it's important to come to school every day and pay attention in class?

Do teachers think adults in the school instill academic self-confidence in students and the study skills needed to succeed?

These are some of the questions that will address how supportive a school environment is in terms of its culture and safety.

3. Collaborative teachers

To determine how well teachers work together, the survey will ask them, for instance, whether professional development included opportunities to work productively with colleagues in their school and others.

Other questions: Do they feel loyal to the school community and would they recommend this school to parents seeking a place for their child?

4. Effective leadership

Teachers and families will be asked about the goals their principals set for the school and how closely they work with staff.

Teachers will evaluate whether principals understand how children learn, communicate a clear vision for the school and know what's going on in their classrooms.

Families will rate whether a principal promotes family involvement and is committed to "shared decision making."

5. Strong family-community ties

Parents and teachers will be asked about family participation.

Are parents invited to visit classrooms to observe instruction? Are they greeted warmly when they call or visit? Does school staff regularly communicate with parents about how they can help their children learn?

6. Culture of trust

It's important for school staff to feel valued, school officials said, which is why the new survey will focus on whether, for instance, teachers feel respected by other teachers and their principals. It will ask students if teachers listen to their ideas. Parents will be asked if the staff works at building "trusting" relationships.