How can failing city schools be made to work? | READER COMMENTARY

The recent commentary, “It’s true that 23 Baltimore schools had no students proficient in math, but there’s more to the story. Here’s some context” (March 9) by Peter Baum delves into a great many factors that contribute to so many city schools doing poorly on the state test.

But the key factor that is not discussed is that the state test is measuring the academic achievement in math which, in this case, is woefully inadequate with zero students making the grade. That’s what proficiency is — the measurement of how many students have met the goal. It is based strictly on results.

So while it is true that the kids in these 23 schools have many valid reasons for not doing as well as those students in wealthy schools, the bottom line is that they are not measuring up in any form on the test — not one single student.

With zero proficiency on the same test that every other student in the state takes, why are these kids not brought up to speed to have the same skills as everyone else? Or is it easier to just accept failure as the norm and cripple the future of these kids? There has to be a solution to resolve failing city schools that actually works.

— Dan Crumpler, Bradenton, Florida

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