Letters to the Editor: Closing Locke High based on test scores alone would be a mistake
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To the editor: L.A. Unified School District has held a preliminary vote to shut down Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy as a charter school and return students to LAUSD, citing low test scores (“Locke High’s charter school experiment faces shutdown as LAUSD moves to take back campus,” June 11). The tests did not account for Locke students’ new learnings, but were the same tests given to all high school students in L.A.
I received my Ph.D. in educational psychology from USC and was an educator, teacher, counselor and administrator until retirement in 2004. I was taught that to administer the same test to a completely different background population and expect a valid result would be an egregious error.
Even though test scores are still low at present, Locke has improved since leaving LAUSD. It would seem one would want to leave the students where they do their best work, live in the community and show respect for each other.
One must realize that an important variable in this discussion must also be the school district’s budget. Monies received are largely determined by the number of students attending. Gaining 1,000 students from closing Locke would seem to be a large carrot if you are trying to balance the books.
In conclusion, where are the kids in this decision? Where are the teachers, and the parents? Are the kids happy to work a little harder if given some extra time to work toward the testing goal?
It is important for everyone involved to make an informed decision.
Don Griffiths, Mission Viejo
