With the release of the API/AYP results next week on August 31st, we can expect the discussion of the conflicting educational accountability systems to rise to the surface again.

On the one side, you have CDE and Superintendent Jack O'Connell who claim that the state's API system, which rewards growth, (no matter how slow) is the better system. On the other side, you have Secretary Spellings and President Bush who feel that the grade-level proficiency measures in AYP are the better measure of student progress.

This San Jose Mercury News editorial is typical of the stuff that you'll see from one side or the other.

To me, it is all about students having the skills they need when they graduate. With that perspective, I can't help but feel inclined towards the AYP's grade-level proficiency measure. What percentage of your kids are competent in the content at their grade level? That's the question that needs to be asked.

While growth is good, rewarding schools for growth doesn't seem to make sense if they still have more than 90% of their kids who aren't able to pass a test on the standards for their grade level. That 90% of kids aren't getting the education that we, the taxpayers, are paying for.

Last year, Secretary O'Connell identified about 330 schools that met their API targets and grew by more than 30 points on the API but that didn't meet their AYP goals. He called this proof that the AYP system was flawed. Well, when you looked at the schools that made up this 330, there were MANY that had abysmal proficiency rates. One that comes to mind had 9% of their kids passing the language arts test and 2% passing the math test. I don't care how you measure it, that's a failing school! Those kids can't wait for their school to grow. Superintendent O'Connell should be ashamed for suggesting anything different.

I'm not even going to get into achievement gaps between white students and their minority counterparts at this point. That's an issue for another day.

I'll be watching his comments next week to see how he frames the AYP vs. API debate this year. Hopefully, he's learned his lesson.