Which is more important – the number of students scoring in Achievement Level III or IV in a school, or whether the school makes expected or high growth?
Both are important in evaluating a school. The percentage of scores in Level III or IV measures how many students in the school are performing “on grade level” that particular year. Schools with high percentages on this measure have very few students who are “behind” in terms of what they should know and be able to do. The growth measure looks at how much progress students make between the start of the year and the end of the year regardless of whether they are performing on grade level or not. Therefore, a school can have students making lots of growth each year, but their percentage of scores in Level III or IV may or may not be high.
