Last week, it was reported that every single soon-to-be eighth grader at LeBron James‘ ‘I Promise School’ has not passed the Ohio state math test since their 2018-2019 school year. Following the reports, the Ohio public school — which opened in 2018 to focus on at-risk students, and reportedly costs a yearly $8 million in taxpayer money — is now responding to the “discouraging” test results.
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The Akron Beacon Journal first reported that the seventh grade students tasked with completing the state proficiency exam — which is required in order to move up to the next grade — have not passed the math test portion since they were in the third grade (2018-2019 school year).
Now, it is important to note that these past few years of “discouraging” test results have also been in the same time period of which COVID-19 affected the world. The pandemic was severely felt at schools nationwide, with many students and staff members adjusting to remote and virtual schooling, and for a while, several days to weeks of no schooling at all. Curriculums everywhere were affected, thus trickling down to the students’ daily performances and test results.
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According to Complex, sources tell them that reports focused on available data from these past few years, may in-fact be “unreliable.” A year after James’ school opened, test scores among students proved to show a “drastic increase.”
Now, years after the beginning of pandemic, reports claim test results have significantly dropped, and in response, a spokesperson for the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I Promise School is addressing the backlash.
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On Monday (July 31), the rep told Complex, “When we started this work to wraparound students through education, we entered this partnership with Akron Public School for the long haul. Because this work requires a long term commitment, hard work, and a lot of love and care. And that’s what we bring each and every day because the I Promise School is more than a school. We’re here for the ups and downs, and will continue to wraparound our students and their entire families so they can be successful in school and in life, no matter the challenges and obstacles that come their way.”
The rep also said that all of the staff at the Akron public school are “incredibly excited” about the upcoming school year, serving under Stephanie Davis, the new principal, who’s been described as the “perfect person to lead” to move the school forward. Davis follows two other principals: the most recent head Tawanna Hamm (who confirmed last month to be leaving the position); and Brandi Davis (who led back in 2018).
Complex reported that another statement was released to them via the new principal, Davis, who spoke about the math test results and more. She began, “One of the things I’m most excited about coming into the I Promise School is the optimism and energy around getting our students to a level of achievement we know they’re capable of.”
Adding, Davis said, “At the recent Board meeting, our preliminary OST data was shared, but it’s important to note that proficiency is based on mastering grade-level standards. Our students have not yet met the grade-level mastery mark but they are demonstrating growth based on iReady scores. Of our incoming 8th graders, 32% met their annual typical growth in reading while 11% met their stretch goal for the year. Despite not mastering the grade-level standards, 42% of students demonstrated growth in iReady math across their 7th grade school year. When working with students who are achieving below grade level, growth is as important as a measure of progress as proficiency. And the type of growth that is important to us is not made overnight. It takes time.”
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I feel sorry for those kids. I really do. But to make matters worse by blaming it on the pandemic is really bad. I come from a family of educators. Both my mother and father were college professors and prior to that my mother was a 4th grade teacher as well as one of the most sought-after principals in her school district.
In today’s world, these kids are masters of the cell phones and computers. They can find things and pull up things quicker than I can. They can even understand complex materials that most adults aren’t able to. But yet when it comes to doing schoolwork, the computer all of a sudden becomes a blind instrument. Although today, most schools have computers. Plus, these young parents today don’t spend time with their kids to help them get ahead. The pandemic would have been a perfect time to start. And like my mother and father always said, “education starts at home”. I’m not a Lebron fan, but I love the way he put this school together, and I pray , I really pray that the kids at his institution get the help they need to move ahead. Enshallah.
honestly its more on the teacher’s then on LeBron. I’m pretty sure LeBron is not in the classrooms with the students. maybe they need another way to teach, every kids don’t learn the same… the pandemic is not blame consider they pass in the 2018-2019 school year…
It must be remembered that these students came from a failing environment prior to being accepted at the, I Promise School environment…. they were failing. To turn this around you need engaged parents, engaged teachers, creative learning environment/s and love of learning. Old habits have to die, with focus on assisting the child and the family to strive to do better/improve while handling this new environment. No drastic change would take place over night. This report as it is, could be deceptive. Is it that we are looking only at newly arriving seventh graders every (each) year? Were these students’ part of the ‘I Promise School’ Curriculum from fifth grade (do you see how the interpretation can change). If they were not part of the school prior to seventh grade, then this is not a true or proper view of the school and its failure or success, (while the school district is failing)….then quite naturally, they must struggle first at eight grade, before getting better. Better grades can only be achieved with love, determination, daring and intuitive engagement, especially when things are required to be done outside of the norm.