In this new school quality brief, Baltimore City Schools researchers, Christopher Wohn, M.D. and Liepa Boberiene, Ph.D. share a new method to compare schools that are similar by student characteristics (i.e., the percent economically disadvantaged, and students receiving services for disabilities and learning English). There are many other risk factors that can be associated with outcomes such as assessment performance, graduation, or college readiness. Given the large number of characteristics that can be measured about schools and students, there are multiple ways to assess school quality.
This brief presents Baltimore City’s School Performance Measure (SPM) which provides a snapshot of a school’s year-long performance that serves as one component in teacher and principal evaluations, and which school practitioners have found useful.