Schools

Voucher Students Test Scores Lag Behind Peers in RUSD

Reading, math scores of voucher students in private schools are behind their counterparts in public schools, but choice advocates say the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Students who attend schools under Racine Unified's voucher program are not performing as well in statewide reading and math tests as those in the district's public schools, new data from the state Department of Public Instruction shows.

The DPI on Tuesday released the results of the 2012-13 Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination, the state's standardized academic achievement tests.

On those tests, 24.1 percent of the students who attended schools under the Parental Private School Choice Program were proficient or better in math. By comparison, 27.8 percent of RUSD students scored proficient or better in math tests. Both figures were significantly under the statewide proficiency rate of 48.1 percent.

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The reading proficiency rate for Racine voucher students was 19.5 percent, while the rate for public school students was 21.6 percent, the DPI said. The statewide rate was 36.2 percent.

The agency noted, however, that just 174 voucher students were tested in Racine, which "precludes making a detailed analysis of the results."

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This is the second year of Racine's voucher program, which allows students from low- and moderate-income families who reside in RUSD to attend private schools with vouchers that cover $6,442 of the cost.

Legislation that put the voucher system in place here capped students at 250 during the 2011-2012 school year and at 500 for the 2012-2013 school year. Caps are removed next year and for subsequent years as well. 

Compared to last year, voucher student scores also went down in math, from 27.9 in math last year to 24.1 this year. Reading scores, however, rose from 14.8 in 2011-2012 to 19.5 in 2012-2013.

A similar gap between voucher students and public school students also was found in Milwaukee, the DPI said.

“These results clearly show that academic performance must improve for all students in Milwaukee and Racine," State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers said in a statement. "I agree with the governor that it’s time to bring publicly funded choice schools into Wisconsin’s school accountability system.”

Lehman calls for accountability

State Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine) said the discrepancy in the scores shows that "vouchers are not the answer" to improving the education system in Racine and Milwaukee.

“The data reported for Racine Unified were too small to draw fair comparisons for Racine voucher schools and public schools, but Milwaukee’s data showed a different story," he said in a statement. "The Milwaukee voucher program has been operating for 23 years and voucher schools continue to underperform compared to Milwaukee Public Schools. 

“Voucher schools now force local taxpayers to pay for two school systems, they offer little or no accountability and they continue to underperform," he added. "So, why are we considering expanding this failed system statewide?”

Test scores don't tell the whole story

Laura Sumner Coon, executive director for Scholarships, Opportunities & Access in Racine (SOAR) – a local nonprofit that focuses on making private school education more accessible for poor students – said it’s important to remember that half of this year’s voucher students were in RUSD schools last year, and only 170 students total participated in the test.

“This is a good snapshot of where they’re starting in their new schools, which for many is a total culture shock, rather than a picture of progress over the last year,” she said. “But almost half of our voucher students are in 4K to second grade, and aren’t even being tested.”

Coon also said testing should not be the sole factor in judging a student’s forward progress in school. She pointed to factors like engagement, which includes attendance she has charted at about 94 percent for private schools and 93 percent for public schools.

But, when it comes down to hard data, only voucher students in the private schools are being measured against students in RUSD schools with the WKCE. Not all third-graders, for example, in all the voucher schools are required to participate in the testing because the state can only require voucher students to take the test.

Patrick Gasper, a spokesman for the DPI, said private schools cannot be required to have all their students test the same way voucher students are tested.

“Only voucher students take the test because they use public money, and the state pays for them to take the tests,” he said. “That alone is a big change because three years ago, we didn’t even have that.”

RUSD wants more testing in private schools

RUSD spokeswoman Stacy Tapp said having all third-graders in private schools - not just the voucher students – take the WKCE would create a more balanced comparison.

“Our position is that any institution taking public money should be held to the same standards as our public schools,” she said. “We want parents as fully informed as possible for a truer apples-to-apples comparison.”

Coon said private schools do test students because their accreditation depends on a clear illustration of student progress. Tests may include the Iowa Basic Skills Test or Terra Nova, and the reason the general public isn’t aware of their scores is because schools weren’t accepting public money.

A report that includes these test scores is in development, Coon added.

"We haven't gathered that data yet. But, it's something we are working on," she said in an email to Patch. 

Timing of the WKCE is an issue because of when it is administered and the tardiness of results. By taking the test so early in the school year, students have only been in their classrooms a few weeks. For voucher students, they may be in a whole new environment. Then, results aren’t available until the school year is almost over, making it impossible to address scores in a meaningful way.

Both Coon and Gasper pointed out that the test period will move to the spring in the 2014-2015 school year, which should help provide a more accurate picture of how students are really doing.


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