We Beat Petersburg!

By John R. Butcher

October 29, 2018 by cranky

In Richmond, the only way to brag about the schools has been to say, “We beat Petersburg!”  We can say it again this year. 

Barely.

For example, here are the division average reading pass rates.  The graphed data are rounded to the nearest whole number to allow calculation of the distribution; the data in the table are rounded to one decimal place.

The blue bar at 56 indicates that one division’s pass rate (it was Danville’s 56.25) rounded to 56.  The blue bar at 57 shows that one division rounded to that value; the red bar there tells us it was Petersburg.  Similarly, Richmond is the one division at 59.

The chart tells us that Richmond was 2.5 standard deviations below the division average, 77.0.  Petersburg was low by 2.8 standard deviations.

Here are the data for the other four subjects.

Finally, the average of the five averages.

Notwithstanding these dismal results, all the Richmond schools (except Carver, where they were caught cheating) are accredited.  But, then, so are all the Petersburg schools.

Meanwhile, the Richmond School Board is busy adopting a redundant free speech policy instead of telling us what they will do to improve the teaching.