PSS releases its own report card

By Marian A. Maraya

Staff Reporter

The Public School System unveils today its annual report card on the state of CNMI’s public education, an eight-page statistical account that, according to acting Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, speaks of the school system’s year-long accomplishments.

Some 8,000 copies of the report card is currently being distributed to the whole community containing PSS’ four strategic priorities to include high student performance, effective and efficient operations, safe and orderly schools, and quality teacher, administrators and staff.

Ms. Sablan emphasized at least three indicators that signify improvement within the school system. She enumerated the school context that relates to conditions (demographic characteristics of students and the personnel profile) of the system and the process that reflects school resources and school improvement priorities as two sets of indicators.

The outcome indicator, which she described as the most significant of all three, rests on the teaching and learning, student profile on attendance, performance on achievement tests and completion rates.

“The question on whether PSS delivers the priorities it has been set out to perform, my answer is yes,” said the acting commissioner.

“Again, I would like to reiterate that yes, the Public School System has progressed not just in one way but in several ways despite the economic difficulties being experienced here in the Commonwealth. Although running the system continues to be a challenge, we have made some progress,” she added.

Ms. Sablan exerted efforts to build up the public’s confidence on the public education system last Friday, as she delivered the PSS annual report, in behalf of Commissioner Rita H. Inos, who was scheduled to address the 2nd Annual Public Education Summit.

In two of her presentations during Friday’s concurrent workshop sessions, Ms. Sablan also conducted a lecture on student assessment and accountability, underscoring the need to change public perception on the term “assessment.”

“Assessment is not just about testing. It should be viewed as a process of collecting information that educators compile so they can have recorded profiles of their students and how they perform in classrooms,” she explained.

The evaluation results, she added, are very critical in determining whether teachers need to “re-teach” students.

“This is where the concept of accountability also comes in. It’s an assurance we give to the general public that education is actually being instituted. Accountability and assessment is for everybody,” she said.

The PSS official further said it’s about time that parents and educators stopped pointing fingers at each other.

“Accountability needs to be put in place since day one. If teachers, principals, and administrators are not doing their jobs, then I am sorry, the most drastic thing to be done is maybe someone has got to go. And we’re not doing that right now, so I think we need to start,” she said.