AUGUSTA – House Majority Leader Seth Berry of Bowdoinham released the following statement Thursday on Gov. Paul LePage’s school grading system.
“Once again, the Department of Education has shown that reductive data yields reductive results,” said Berry. “They have taken a handful of test scores and further reduced these to a single letter grade – a grade which says little about how a student will someday perform as a worker, as a parent or as a citizen. Instead, school accountability needs to recognize more factors and rely on more than standardized tests.
“Maine’s highest goals for its students are that they become clear and effective communicators, self-directed and lifelong learners, creative and practical problem solvers, responsible and involved citizens and integrative and informed thinkers. By and large, these are the same skills my Workforce Committee heard about time and again as we listened across the state to Maine business leaders. Unfortunately, Governor LePage’s new school grading system fails to show how well our schools are living up to these important goals.”
Berry is the House chair of the Joint Select Committee on Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future. He taught in public schools for two decades, winning top awards in the nation’s largest school system, holds a master’s degree in education from Columbia University Teachers College and has led school district improvement and staff development efforts in Maine as well as other states.
Contact:
Ann Kim [Berry] 233-1838