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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Title 1 schools that 'need improvement' take special steps
By Amy K. StewartOGDEN --
Different steps put a Title 1 school on the "needs improvement list" as designated by the federal mandate No Child Left Behind.
And schools must take different steps to be removed from that list.
When a Title 1 school doesn't make NCLB's Adequate Yearly Progress, which judges a school based on spring testing, the school is put on warning. If the school has two "no" designations in a row, the school is put on its first year, or Level 1, of school sanctions.
Dee Elementary School is on Level 3 of the list, while Lynn Elementary School remains on Level 1 for this school year.
At Level 1 of the improvement list, the school must send notification letters to parents and offer them the option of sending their child to a different school. The school must pay for transportation if a parent chooses another school.
Level 2 is the same as Level 1,but the school must also offer supplemental educational services. A state-approved outside entity has to provide extended learning opportunities outside the school day.
Level 3is the same as Level 2,except the school is also monitored by the state. The state must approve the school's improvement plan, and the school must submit progress reports to the state throughout the year.
Dee Principal Linda Brown said no parents opted for NCLB's school choice last school year. However, this year, about a dozen Dee students are heading to either Gramercy or Polk elementary schools.
"It's discouraging. It's hard on staff morale because they work as hard as they possibly can," Brown said. "However, it's the parent's right. It's their choice.
"It's discouraging to us to know they are leaving the school where learning is going so well."
The few parents who have visited the school and talked with Brown have changed their minds and kept their children at Dee. But others simply filled out a form and submitted it to the district office without talking to Dee educators, she said.
Lynn Principal Coleen Martindale said three of her students are headed to Gramercy with the NCLB school choice option this school year.
Martindale said she believes there aren't a lot of upset parents.
"They know we have good teachers and a good curriculum," she said. "We're doing the best we can do with our kids."
When Dee was on Level 2, the school offered off-site tutoring in addition to the after-school option, but no parent has taken advantage of that yet, Brown said.
"They are pleased with the tutoring at the school. They know and trust the teachers. The children are on campus and receive a snack, and it doesn't involve transportation for the family," she said
"Our teachers are as qualified as the people at these companies."
Before NCLB, the school's tutoring was geared more toward helping students with homework, but now the teachers target specific children and home in on academic skills, Brown said.
Tutors, hired by the district, also are helping. They are trained and work under the direction of licensed teachers. Each tutor has at least an associate's degree and must pass a basic skills assessment test, as required by NCLB.
Because Dee is at Level 3 now, the state will keep a closer watch on how the school's improvement plan is being implemented. The district will report to the state quarterly. The state also provides a state-trained person for the school support team.
"The state office role is to verify that research-based best practices are being used," said Reed Spencer, district executive director of curriculum and assessment.
Brown said she doesn't resent the oversight but rather welcomes the input.
State and district officials visited Dee within the last few weeks.
"They observed teaching, they interviewed students, they interviewed parents, me and teachers," Brown said.
"We debriefed, and now I have an action plan to follow with good ideas, especially pertaining to math."
NCLB school improvement list
If a school doesn't pass No Child Left Behind's Adequate Yearly Progress two years in a row, it is placed on a school-improvement list and subject to sanctions. The school must pass AYP two years in a row to be removed. AYP is based on spring testing.
* Dee Elementary School
2003 No: Warned
2004 No: Level 1
2005 Yes: Frozen at Level 1
2006 No: Level 2
2007 No: Level 3
* Lynn Elementary School
2003 Yes: OK
2004 Yes: OK
2005 No: Warned
2006 No: Level 1
2007 Yes: Frozen at Level 1
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