Letter: Compare schools of like enrollment

Your article “Are Beaufort County public schools ‘excellent’ or ‘abysmal’?” does not present an accurate picture as to how a school should be evaluated.

A school should be evaluated on the amount of growth each student has made in an academic year. This will vary, based on the student’s innate ability, special health and learning needs, parental support, teachers, and curriculum.

The SAT, ACT, and other test averages are just that — average scores. In any given year, a very small percentage of very high scores can lift the average by several points. Many of Beaufort County’s top students attend private schools. If their scores were included with the other students attending Beaufort County schools, then the Beaufort County averages would rise.

One could say Beaufort County schools trail on the average scores on the SAT, ACT, and the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress.

But if the schools are to be accurately compared, then compare them with other schools that have the same socio-economic population. Beaufort County has 62 percent of its students on free lunch. What percentage of its students are taking English as a Second Language classes?

How does one accurately evaluate the schools?

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Letter: Compare schools of like enrollment."