“Using the average grades students receive in exams as the sole criterion is reductive and does not allow for comparisons,” argued the president of the National Association of Directors of Groupings and Public Schools (ANDAEP) during a statement to the Lusa news agency.
In response to the rankings of the best averages in exams released today, which once again place private schools at the top, Filinto Lima emphasized that the student performances during these assessments are affected by several factors not considered, such as access to private tutoring or the absence of teachers during the academic year.
“Comparing what is incomparable does not seem honest to me,” stated the director from Vila Nova de Gaia.
This viewpoint is shared by the president of the National Association of School Leaders (ANDE), who contends that the lists compiled by media outlets treat schools with very different contexts as if they shared similar realities.
“There are schools doing fantastic work, but that effort is not reflected in the rankings,” lamented Manuel Pereira, highlighting that in more disadvantaged contexts, the “bigger challenge is having the students attend school.”
The school directors do not entirely dismiss the data but view it with context, and Manuel Pereira notes that some schools use national exam averages to evaluate their work, but only compare it with results from institutions with similar contexts.
“The most positive ranking would be that of overcoming, where schools exceed expectations and push students further. In that scenario, comparisons could be made,” added Filinto Lima.
This analysis is now possible through the Equity indicator, which tracks the progress of students receiving Social School Action and compares it with students of similar profiles.
“Year after year, the rankings are approaching their goal of comparability, although they are still far from it,” recognized the president of ANDAEP.
Meanwhile, Manuel Pereira believes that publishing the rankings primarily serves as “a significant contribution by the media to promoting private schools.”
