Star schools

The Clark County School District unveiled its high school rankings last week, and the contrast between the system’s successes and failures could not be more clear.

Fourteen of the district’s 49 high schools received a five-star ranking, the highest possible. But none of those 14 schools was a large urban or suburban campus. Three of the five-star high schools were small or rural campuses – Indian Springs, Moapa and Boulder City – and the other 11 were magnet or specialty campuses, including the Advanced Technologies Academy, Las Vegas Academy, three College of Southern Nevada high school programs, and five career and technical academies.

Just six large high schools got four stars, and 24 got three or fewer stars.

Those marks are especially discouraging because the district’s new School Performance Framework – put in place this year by Superintendent Dwight Jones to better measure progress and identify deficiencies – gives traditional campuses a 10 percent boost in the system’s scoring formula. Because magnet and vocational schools select their students from a surplus of motivated applicants and kick out nonperformers, they must meet a higher bar for each ranking tier.

Still, none of the big high schools got five stars. Just as no middle schools – not even a single magnet campus – got five stars in rankings released three months ago. Meanwhile, 37 elementary schools received a five-star rating.

Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez acknowledged the obvious: Too many students are starting middle school and high school behind. Because of grade inflation and social promotion, many students are advanced to more demanding coursework even though they lack basic proficiencies.

One possible solution to this problem is a reform that failed to make it out of the 2011 Legislature: Ending social promotion in elementary schools by requiring third-graders to pass a reading test. Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Superintendent James Guthrie plan to push for this bill again in 2013. Good.

In addition to addressing the school district’s struggles, it’s just as important for Mr. Jones and the School Board to advance triumphs. The valley’s many magnet and vocational campuses have an amazing energy about them. They allow driven, focused teens to learn alongside like-minded peers without the distractions of knuckleheads. Too many kids are turned away from these schools. We need more, and fast.

The reform-minded Mr. Jones continues to deliver on his promise to Southern Nevadans to be honest and transparent. He deserves the valley’s support as he moves forward with his plans to improve our schools, despite the fervent opposition of the teachers union.

“No excuses,” Mr. Jones said Thursday. “Folks, this is a new day.” It’s about time.