Tulsa Public Schools Releases State's A-F Report For The District

Tulsa Public Schools released the district's grades on the state's A-F School Report Card Wednesday afternoon in conjunction with the certification of grades by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. 

In a news release, TPS said five schools earned an “A” grade,with four schools earning a “B,” seven a “C” and 10 a grade of “D.” In addition, 49 schools received a letter grade of “F” – among them 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and 3 high schools.

Tulsa Public Schools Preliminary 2014 A-F Report Card

Tulsa Pubic School superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard called the current grading formula bogus. He said last year Walt Whitman Elementary got an F, so the entire staff was replaced and trained; and this year, after improvement, they still failed.

Ballard said the Department of Education is the one that is failing Tulsa's kids.

"In Year 3 of Oklahoma's school grading system, another significant change was made, severely compounding the flaws already inherent in the formula,” said Dr. Keith Ballard, superintendent. 

“For the first time, special education students and English Language Learners were not given a modified version of the test, which makes any comparison with the previous year impossible. It is my hope that the Oklahoma Legislature will fix this flawed system."

State Department Of Education A-F Report Cards

There was a lot of pressure put on Oklahoma's third graders in 2013. They needed to pass an achievement test to make it to the fourth grade.

"When I was doing the test it was kind of hard. They were asking me all kinds of questions and I was like ‘oh my God, I don't know this and I don't know that,' but I just kept going and it actually worked," said fourth grader, Trinity Tottress.

Tottress passed and is in fourth grade now. Teachers told her class, their hard work and study habits would improve their school's overall F grade.

At Whitman, school staff was overhauled and students hit the books; so kids thought Wednesday's grade would be good.

“Obviously we didn't, so the principal actually went over the intercom and told us what we had and we were like ‘what does that mean' and we finally found out,” Trinity said.

The failing grade is a shock to Trinity's mother, Tricia, who volunteers at the school. She said parents and teachers are all working together to improve.

"We are all on board working with the kids daily. By them getting an F, I don't know what score they are going off of in order to determine that F, but it is affecting the kids,” Tricia said.

Ballard said the real failures are at the state level. He said a single grade can't capture the achievement of an entire school.

He wants to encourage staff and students at the 49 failing schools to ignore what he calls bogus grading.

"The state superintendent dismissed a flawed testing company that has botched it for two years in a row and these grades are based on a real shaky testing program,” Ballard said.

Still, he admitted TPS can to do better. He said district wide, even kids at failing schools are committed to improving.

"We need an A, all we to do is try harder and harder, and we will probably get one,” Trinity said.

If your child attends Tulsa Public Schools, Ballard said to direct any concerns and questions to your principal.

The five "A" grade schools include Carnegie, Eisenhower, Zarrow, Carver and Booker T Washington.