Weber School District: 28 pass, 13 don't
Text 
No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Amy K. Stewart
Standard-Examiner staff
O
GDEN -- Weber School District is full of surprises when it comes to No Child Left Behind's Adequate Yearly Progress data.
Numbers were released statewide today. Reports are based on tests students took last spring.
In Weber district, 28 schools passed, 13 didn't.
North Park Elementary, a Title 1 school that struggles because of its challenging socioeconomic population, pulled ahead and made AYP for 2007.
Lakeview Elementary School, also a Title 1 school, didn't pass AYP for 2007. It didn't pass the previous year either.
Title 1 schools that don't pass two years in a row are put on a "school improvement list" and are subject to sanctions.
However, district officials discovered a glitch in Lake-view's 2006 AYP test data and believe the school actually did pass that year. District officials appealed the single data discrepancy to the Utah State Office of Education and kept their fingers crossed.
Weber district officials learned Friday afternoon that the state office had granted the appeal.
While Lakeview is breathing a sigh of relief, North Park is having a party.
"We definitely need a celebration -- and balloons," said North Park Elementary Principal Vickie Thalman.
Thalman said when the school got a "no pass" in 2006, the staff went right to the testing data to study the issues.
They determined which students needed a bit of extra help, as well as students who needed intensive intervention.
Title 1 schools receive some federal funding when they don't pass AYP.
North Park school teachers were paid, at their regular rate, to stay 20 minutes after school each day and do some small-group tutoring.
All grade levels participated.
Because the school passed AYP in 2007, it gets no NCLB funding now. But the teachers have agreed to stay after school and tutor anyway, Thalman said.
"It would be nice if the money were always there," she said.
The school also relied on parents for help last year.
The staff called the parents of every child who was struggling academically.
They asked the parents if they would work with the child for 15 minutes, five days a week, at home.
The school provided materials and training.
Participation was good, with 75 percent of the parents attending the training meeting, Thalman said.
"It took a whole community to make AYP," she said.
North Park also incorporated some research-based strategies into the curriculum, which helped all students improve academically.
Right before test time, the school sent home pamphlets to remind parents of the testing dates and to make sure their kids got a good night's sleep and a nutritious breakfast.
Students were instructed on how to take the test so they wouldn't be nervous about the unknown, Thalman said.
"We will keep these tactics in place and continue looking at the data."
Add Your Comment
