Teachers and professional educators understand tests. Tests are an assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities.
With that said, we are proud to say our city and county school appear to be headed in the right direction. Coahoma County School District got a high C and Clarksdale Municipal School District got a C.
All of us have been handed back a test and the grade disappointed us. On the other hand, I once got a C in Chemistry at the end of the year and my parents were so happy. I had started out with a D and had a D at the end of the first semester.
Coahoma County had a C last year. This was a first for Clarksdale High School in many years. As a matter of fact, looking back on Clarksdale scores from a few decades back – you can find them at www.mdek12.org – that C is something to brag about.
I have told anyone who will listen that our schools are the proverbial elephant in the room.
This reporter doesn't like to say teachers and administrators are failing, lazy or just don’t care, because school leaders are sensitive about those words and call me on the phone. But it is still apparent many of our children are still failing.
Educating students to achieve success should be the focus of all schooling. It should be reflected in state test scores!
The solution to our education concerns should always focus on our children and not administrators, school boards, teachers and certainly not jobs for underperforming friends.
Report Card
Your Clarksdale Press Register has a lengthy story in today’s paper complete with the state and district grades as we seek to explain what recent test scores released by the state mean.
We hope parents, taxpayers and educators carefully read what is said about these test scores. We hope each community and school district taxpayer takes that information and works to better the schools in their respective district.
According to MDE Clarksdale has 142.8 teachers and 69.6-percent have more than four years of teaching experience. Sadly only 73.2-percent have a valid certificate and are teaching a course for which they are properly endorsed.
Instructional costs for 2022-23 at Clarksdale were $12,416.93 per student
Coahoma County schools had 84.1 teachers, 69.8-percent have been teaching four year and 88.2-percent were certified and teaching in their field.
Instructional costs for 2022-23 at Coahoma were $11,477.83 per student
Instructional costs at Clarksdale Charter were $7,826.27 per student.
Details about school district discipline, truancy and other details can also be found on the website.
To the community I want to point out teachers are graded based on these test scores, too. It is easy for the Central Office to determine who is or isn’t pulling their weight.
We challenge trustees and educators to realize how serious these numbers are, not because they reflect on their work, but because they indicate our children are not learning in many key subjects.
Positive Steps
We also hope each community will also look at the successes of local schools and encourage local educators to work harder. Teaching is not an easy job, but it is one that holds immense rewards for those who demand excellence and can get it from a young mind.
I will not get into what was tested, the merits of high-stakes testing or pointing fingers in this space today. But I do want each community to take a long, hard look at what kind of marks their school district earned this year.
It looks like our schools are no longer targets for take-over by the state. They are prime candidates for consolidation.
Again, I will not delve into those topics at this time, but they are options that could solve many of our problem – if we don’t solve it first.
Your see, the stakes are high.
Great schools could solve our de-population problem. Great schools would bring people to our community to buy homes, go to our churches, live in our city and county and shop at our stores. Great schools are one of the first things industry looks at when considering a move to any community.
Let’s look the facts squarely in the face and then roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He has four boys who have gone to good and not-so-good schools in three states and feels his children – and yours too – deserve the best.
