Overheard in New York

After almost five and a half years as chancellor, I know you can’t point to a single number, be it a test score or graduation rate, to prove success or failure. The whole picture is important.

--Joel Klein

Unless, of course, you're talking about grading schools - where you can just point to a single letter.

In a memo, Klein goes on to say:

We need to look at all the indicators we have—promotion rates, graduation rates, State English and math test results, Regents pass rates, national test results, and even the results of things like Advanced Placement and PSAT exams—to understand how well our students are performing and progressing. Together, these factors paint a complete picture. In that context, I am encouraged by the results we got last week on a key national indicator, the National Assessment of Educational Progress results.