Implementation
We believe the district could be operating on the standards in not more than five years. The first step is for the Department of Education to arrive at valid tests for each level which are acceptable to the State School Board. Once the tests are agreed upon, we propose to test all of the students currently at those levels. This will give us a benchmark, essentially letting us know where we stand. Designing the tests and finding the benchmarks should take not more than one year. We will then ask for a 25% improvement each year in tests scores, until we are at the desired level.
It is entirely possible that we will not meet this goal, that we will not be able to bring up the levels of achievement in such a short period of time. However, if we try, we at least have a chance. If we do not try, we can be sure not to succeed. The sooner we can improve the quality of education offered in the City of St. Louis, the sooner we will see an improvement in the social situation.
Next: Implementing Tracking