Editorial: Grades matter, but...

Burnside Elementary is making the grade. It was in the top 15 percent of Minnesota schools, according to the new Multiple Measurement Rating system.

Yet the school was on the brink of failure two years ago because student progress was lacking.

Meanwhile, Red Wing?High School isn’t anywhere near the bottom, but its MMR graduation score was a dismal 4.13 out of 25 points. The overall rating is 42 percent.

Don’t be depressed. The reality is 92 percent of Wingers earn their diplomas — 2 percentage points above the state average.

So what gives?

Minnesota is adjusting to Multiple Measurement Rating, the program that replaces the federal No Child Left Behind and Adequate Yearly Progress. We’ll have a better idea what they mean in a year or two.

Test scores and assessments, like the grades students receive, are tools that help a community determine where local schools might have weaknesses. Remember that whatever the system, student success is the goal.

goal.

Tags: opinion, editorials