In reply to Beatrice Clark’s letter about our “failing” middle schools, it seems to me that she has just listened to sensationalized reports. I can’t speak for Dimmit or Nelson, but here is the information for McKnight. I believe that the following applies to all three schools.

A school’s AYP score is determined by sub-groups in the schools population. Kids are divided out by ethnicity, financial status, age, sex, grade, etc., resulting in 37 subgroups. A child can be in more than one subgroup. If any subgroup fails, the school is flagged as not making AYP. If one group, say poor black males, fails one year, it triggers a flag for the school. Then let’s say the next year they all pass but Hispanic girls fail, the school is again flagged as needing improvement. Specifically at McKnight, the groups who fail frequently are the special education students and the English Language Learners. Yes, a child who has been in the U.S. for less than a week and speaks no English must take the test and their score counts against the schools.

So why don’t schools like Mercer Island or Bainbridge get equally knocked? For a subgroup to count, there must be a statistically significant number of students. Renton’s affordable housing creates a diverse population and we have the two largest middle schools in the state. We have many more statistically significant subgroups than the more “affluent” communities who don’t have to count the scores of their smaller minority populations. This year, McKnight had double-digit increases in its school scores across all portions of the WASL – one of the highest increases in the state. Not bad for a school not making AYP.

Having been in the school and asking questions, I am very happy to send my kids there. While no system is perfect, I am proud to give Ms. Heuschel and Ms. Maxwell my vote of confidence. I see definite improvements and invite any concerned parent to get into their school and learn “the rest of the story.”

Leiana Smith

Renton