At a recent meeting, parents and the Somerville School Committee raised concerns about the graphical display of students’ standardized test scores in classrooms and hallways. Committee members questioned the academic and social value of the graphs and echoed complaints from parents, saying the graphs invaded students’ privacy and demoralized them.

Under the guidance of the education consulting group, Focus on Results, Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi and other school officials last year directed grade 2 through 8 teachers to mount graphs, or “data walls” in and outside their classrooms. The graphs show any progress in students’ Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores. Students take MAP online three times a year to measure their proficiency in reading and math.

School officials directed teachers not to name or otherwise identify students when making graphs, except by an assigned number or letter. However, some teachers have neglected to code their graphs, according to the School Committee. 

Parent Exposes Misuse of Graphs

 A mother of a five-year-old girl who attended the Jan. 11 meeting denounced the use of the displays after her daughter’s low score and name appeared in her school hallway. After the girl saw her standing among her classmates, she went home and told her mother that she was “stupid,” according to the woman. 

“I have a very bright child who thinks she’s a low achiever,” the woman said. “Anytime you are posting student data on a wall, there is a potential for students not only to identify each other but also identify themselves.”

Constructing the Data Walls

The graphs originated out of the consulting group’s suggestion that school officials create a system that would make students accountable for their standardized test scores and make them want to score higher.

Besides using graphs, teachers carried out the group’s recommendation to talk individually with students about their scores. Committee member Paul Bockelman said he supported teachers discussing a student’s score directly with the student but doubted the efficacy of the displays.

“I don’t really see how this is motivating students,” Bockelman said.

Over two years, the district has paid Focus on Results approximately $120,000 to make general recommendations about how to improve the city’s public schools, according to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Vincent McKay.

School Committee Weighs In

Only in the past few months have parents and teachers criticized the graphs, according to McKay. He said that teachers have largely adapted to using the graphs and that students get excited to see them.

“Teachers who have done it for a while got past reservations and now see it as an effective way to educate children,” he said.

Committee member Christine Rafal dismissed McKay’s assessment.

“People can get used to some pretty awful things,” she said. Rafal added that parents were unhappy with the graphs because MAP tested only certain types of intelligence.

“Overall, Focus on Results is great,” she said. “This one piece I don’t see value in. Research doesn’t recommend data walls. It never says that progress has to be public.”

Superintendent Pierantozzi said that students should value standardized test scores early on because high school students have to pass certain standardized tests to graduate. He said some elementary and middle school students do poorly on tests because there are no consequences to them.  

Yet Bockelman said that graphs encourage teachers and principals to use standardized tests not as a diagnostic tool but a way to see which students haven’t reached a certain level.  

Further, School Committee Chairman Adam Sweeting said that graphs belittle students.

“I think we can enrich our children in a way that doesn’t make them see themselves as data points,” Sweeting said.  

Protecting Students’ Privacy

The School Committee worried about the feasibility of protecting students’ identities, even if teachers coded the graphs. Teachers tend to assign numbers or letters to students that appear on the flowers, divers or other figures that represent them.

Nevertheless, students sometimes cut out and color their own paper figures together in class, which makes knowing whose figure is whose unavoidable.

“Students clearly can identify who they are, which diver is theirs,” Bockelman said.

Rethinking the Displays

After Tuesday night’s meeting, Assistant Superintendent McKay said that he planned to do further research about the usefulness and application of the data walls.

“Clearly we need to give better direction,” he said. “We want to avoid having identifiable information. In terms of the overall strategy, I think we’re going to reevaluate.” 

Plan AHEAD: UPCOMING IMPORTANT SCHOOL DATES

• This week: Kindergarten sign-up began this week. For information and the full schedule of open houses and helpful events, see our story here.
• Wed. Jan. 26: Half-day for grades PK-8.
• February 3-5: Somerville High School presents Willy Wonka the Musical. For information and tickets, click here.
• February 7-8: Registration for free, weekly early childhood playgroups. Details at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/playgroups.