Compton to Rate Campuses by Letter Grades

In an unusual effort to fix its beleaguered schools, the Compton Unified School District announced this week that it will post letter grades--similar to those displayed at Los Angeles County restaurants--at each of its 38 campuses.

The district will post grades ranging from A through F at the schools’ main entrances, beginning March 31, officials said.

The grades will be based on 12 nonacademic categories, including the condition and availability of textbooks, restrooms and water fountains and the appearance of the campus, as well as parent involvement.

“We’ll be able to see, and so will the entire world, the evaluation of the schools in each of these areas,” said Randolph E. Ward, state administrator for the Compton Unified School District. He borrowed the idea from the Los Angeles County health department’s grading of restaurants.

Low grades, he said, will prompt schools to correct problems or face disciplinary action. The idea, Ward said, is to maintain accountability.

The move is the latest in a series of steps to improve conditions at the district’s three high schools, eight middle schools, 23 elementary schools and four alternative schools.

The district came under the state’s charge in 1993 after ending up with a nearly $20-million shortfall. In addition, district students were performing well below national norms on standardized tests.

Doug Stone, a spokesman for the state Office of Education, said no one in his office has heard of a school district in California grading its campuses. “It’s a good idea,” he said. With an open enrollment system, parents in the Compton district will be allowed to pull their children from low-scoring schools, Ward said. But he hopes the grading system will have the opposite effect.

“The idea is not to embarrass schools,” he said. “The intention is to fix schools and get parents involved in that process.”

Many parents and school officials on Friday applauded the move.

“We’re in the era of accountability,” said Karen Hall, principal of Anderson Elementary School. “I think the more we’re accountable, the more we build community trust and move forward.”

Christine Paulk, whose son attends McNair Elementary School, believes the grading system will help boost morale. “Just like when you encourage students if they get a low grade,” she said. “It’ll make sure everybody pulls together to get the grade A and keep the A.”

Gloria Magallanes, a volunteer aide at Anderson Elementary School, which her three nephews attend, said the grading system will draw district attention to campus problems. “They’ll see how bad they are,” she said.

Jesus Iribe, an eighth-grader at Willowbrook Middle School, complained that restrooms at his school are “always dirty” and “the school’s all tagged” with graffiti. Hearing about the new grading system, the 13-year-old said he was glad because maybe now the schools “will get better.”

One Compton principal, who asked to remain anonymous, worried that a low grade may unfairly label a principal. “Some things are not always in the hands of the principal,” she said. “Maybe, I’m getting a C because I have broken windows. Well, I can’t fix a broken window. . . . You may be unjustly rating me.”

The grading system will be based, in part, on how quickly such safety hazards as broken windows and unsafe electrical systems are fixed; whether there are regularly scheduled emergency drills, anti-litter and graffiti removal programs, bathroom inspection and maintenance schedules, and school site safety committees.

Evaluations of the schools will be conducted quarterly by Mark Deese, the district’s independent compliance officer. All school grades will be posted by April 15, Deese said.

In order to receive an A rating, a school must comply in at least 11 of the 12 categories. A school conforming in eight to 10 of the categories will receive a B; those meeting seven criteria will receive a C; meeting half of the criteria will earn a D. Scores below that will receive an F.

Deese said if schools receive a C or lower, campus leaders must meet with district officials to develop a plan to bring the school into compliance.