Author: morgannbarth

A longtime Connecticut educational administrator, Morgan Barth was involved in setting in place the state’s innovative Achievement First (AF) public charter school network. From 2004 to 2008, Morgan Barth engaged as a founding teacher with Elm City College Prep in New Haven, Connecticut, and instructed English language arts at the 5th and 6th grade levels. He supported a full range of school start-up activities, including curriculum design and students and family recruitment.

Everyone Loves to Hate Standardized Tests – But They are Vital!

As a former principal of Amistad High School, Morgan Barth prepared students for college. He relied on standardized test scores to inform his practice and to demonstrate his school’s efficacy. At Amistad High School urban students routinely out-performed their suburban peers on tests; and 100% of students graduated and went to college.

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2000 every state has been required to implement some form of standardized testing in grades 3 – 8. Virtually all high school uses additional tests such as the ACT, SAT or Advanced Placement Exams. Standardized tests are a popular punching bag in education policy discussions. Some teachers (and their unions) don’t like tests because they do not want to be evaluated by scores. Some parents and organizations who fear that test narrow the focus of schools to some subjects. Some people are just tired of seeing how badly their school does. Despite the critique, it is vital for parents, schools, communities, teachers and policy makes to understand the importance of standardized tests.

Equity and Transparency: Without standardized test scores we would not have the data to show which students (and which schools) are performing better or worse. Test scores help us see how districts and schools are performing. Before NCLB cities and districts could brush the results from failing schools under the rug. Parents and taxpayers deserve to see how well their schools are doing.

Measuring Growth: Experienced educators and evaluators know that it’s more important to look for growth year-over-year than the absolute results from a single year. Schools should be constantly improving and adding value ever year. A student who jumps 10 percentile points in a single year is making important progress. Similarly, it is important to track whether a school is improving (or worsening).

Intervention: We need reliable data to inform decisions about where to send help. At the student level, standardized tests can help inform which students need extra help, tutoring or special education. At the school level, test scores can help a district determine which schools need additional support. At times, standardized test scores can (and should) be used to make consequential decisions such as a change in school or district leadership, the expansion of successful programs or the closure of a chronically failing school.

When I meet a test-score critic I often make the analogy to medicine. Sure, a patient is more than just his medical test results. And a hospital is more than just it’s surgery success or infection rates. But don’t you want to know your blood pressure? And don’t you want to know your hospital’s success rate on a surgery before making a choice? Of course you do!

The Difference Between Equity and Equality in Education

To learn spelled in scrabble pieces Photo by Pixabay from Pexels — To learn spelled in scrabble pieces Photo by **Pixabay** from **Pexels**

The former principal of Achievement First Amistad High School, Morgan Barth has been working in educational leadership roles for more than a decade. Morgan Barth began his involvement in academics as a teacher in 2002, and has since demonstrated a strong ability to promote student success and equity at various types of academic institutions.

When it comes to education, many people use “equality” and “equity” interchangeably, when in fact the two terms actually refer to two different things. Simply put, equality ensures all students get the same resources, while equity means that each student receives resources based on their individual needs.

While equality is beneficial and important when applied to social situations, such as the treatment of each student or the amount of time teachers spend with students, it does not address the unique needs of specific students. For instance, a student who does not have Internet at home will struggle with completing online tasks more than their peers. This could result in the student falling behind in school, despite receiving the same treatment or resources as all other students.

Equity, meanwhile, does address these unique circumstances. It doesn’t mean that students all receive the same resources, but rather that students each receive the resources they need to have the same opportunities. For one student, this may mean receiving audio teaching, if they are an audio learner. For another, it could mean receiving resources that are more suited to visual learning. This type of focus reduces the achievement gap between students of various incomes and backgrounds.

Morgan Barth often explained the difference between equity and equality by telling students, “Fair isn’t giving everyone the same; it’s giving everyone what he/she needs.”

Defining Equity in Education

Educational leader Morgan Barth is committed to improving academic outcomes for students of all abilities and backgrounds. During his tenure as principal of several Connecticut schools, Morgan Barth advocated for equity through high standards and the holistic support of students.

Advocates of equity in education aim to reduce or eliminate achievement gaps that arise from socioeconomic differences or individual learning needs. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, educational equity is defined as an educational system that prioritizes fairness, equal opportunity, and inclusion. In practice, educational equity can take the form of equal treatment.

To achieve true equity, instances arise in which some children must be given more resources to attain the same opportunities as their peers. This may be extra funding for ESL classes, extra support members for students with learning disabilities, or special out-of-school programs for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.