The Tribune is commended for its logical and reasonable editorial, “There‘s more to a grade than test mastery,” (Sept. 29).
Nearly all school researchers (Ravitch, Rothstein, etc.) agree that a just and accurate school effectiveness evaluation cannot be conducted without consideration of its student demographics. Since 1986, the data collected by the school research firm, School Match, Centerville, Ohio, clearly show that school results are directly related to the socio-economic conditions of the student population.
Why in the world Utah copied the letter grading system from Florida is difficult to understand. The harm that it has done must now be corrected with an evaluation program that considers student demographics as one component of the evaluation criteria.
Don Thomas, Millcreek