The administration at USD 453 Leavenworth consciously gave school board members and parents a false impression of high school state assessment results at the October 14 board meeting.
Leavenworth High School Principal James Vanek showed the adjacent slide, commenting that the district’s median score for English language arts meets the state average. He made no other comment on this slide.
The slide shows the lowest possible score of 220, but Vanek didn’t explain the significance of the 300 score. Some people might assume that 300 is the highest score, but it isn’t. The maximum score, according to the Kansas Department of Education, is 380.
Raw scores are rather meaningless to most people, but proficiency levels are pretty clear. The table below shows that 35% of 10th-graders at USD 453 are below grade level in ELA, and only 26% are proficient. Vanek could have shown these outcomes, noting the slight improvement in the number of students below grade level. Math proficiency levels also slightly improved, but this stark data underscores a serious student achievement challenge and should prompt frank discussions.
The Sentinel asked Vanek if he gave board members any state assessments like that in the table above and to comment on the deficiencies in his median score presentation, but he would not respond to email and telephone requests. He also did not provide documentation to substantiate his statements on median scores and ACT results, but The Sentinel will obtain that information through the Department of Education.
Unfortunately, the Leavenworth district’s deceptive presentation is not an isolated incident but a continuance of a pattern, as shown here and here.
It’s also another example of why we believe student outcomes won’t improve until the State Board of Education, local school boards, and education administrators are compelled to do their jobs.
