Janet Barresi addresses new grading system, school safety in Norman forum

The school report cards based on an A-F grading system are meant to be helpful, not punitive, Barresi said.

“It is a way to report to you about the performance of students,” she said. “It is not finger-pointing. It has nothing to do with getting rid of teachers. No teachers, no principals or superintendents are fired because of it.”

The report card system is a way to identify areas that need improvement so improvements can be made, Barresi said.

The system indicates that schools with a greater population of lower-income children do not fare as well as other schools, Barresi said, but the intention is not to shame or punish them.

“Do we want to hide our children of poverty? I believe the only way out of poverty is education,” she said. “If it points out poverty, we need to talk about what we can do for children of poverty. You can't do that by hiding them.”

One of the best things to come out of the new grading system so far, Barresi said, “is that it has created a wonderful conversation across the state about public school education.”

Improvements in teaching methods and curriculums will come as a result of the evaluations, she said.

“The arrow is going up, I guarantee you,” she said.

Safety issues vary

Asked about school safety, Barresi said no single solution fits every district.

“We have an entirely different situation in every district. Some schools are very secure, and some are not. Some schools in rural areas are 30 minutes away from a first-responder,” she said.