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Kansas' Student Academic Achievement Goals Questioned

Posted on: Sunday, 18 September 2005, 21:00 CDT

Sep. 18--TOPEKA - Educators and parents are questioning whether the state is trying to lower the bar for student academic achievement.

A report, released last week, identified 16 districts as having spent their money well, based on how their students scored on reading and math tests.

All were small to medium-sized districts. None of the large urban and suburban districts, which offer a wider variety of courses and activities, made the top 16. If achievement is measured onlyby the number of students who read and perform math at their grade level, school supporters say, where does that leave advanced math, science, fine arts and foreign language classes?

"A district that does those things will look worse under this method, even if it has exactly the same achievement on reading and math," said Mark Tallman, advocacy director for the Kansas Association of School Boards.

"You're not rewarded for spending more and getting higher results," he said. "All they're looking at is, what does it cost to get to proficiency? They're not talking about what it costs to get to excellence."

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who persuaded a private foundation to fund the study to identify cost-efficient schools, said the report by Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services is not an assault on advanced learning.

Instead, she said, it is an attempt to find out whether management practices in the 16 districts can be duplicated elsewhere to save money.

How schools spend their money is likely to come under unprecedented scrutiny next year.

Lawmakers face the prospect of raising an additional $568 million for schools unless they can prove to the Kansas Supreme Court that a lesser amount will provide all students with an adequate education. That's in addition to the $290 million they approved, under court order, this year.

The court found that children from poor homes, those still learning English and those with disabilities were not receiving an adequate education. In its opinion, issued in June, the court said that that achievement gap must be closed for all students.

Some worry that one way of closing the gap--without spending hundreds of millions of dollars--is by concentrating on the basics, at the expense of the best and brightest.School officials say minimum reading and math proficiency should not be the only yardstick for measuring successful schools.

"You want to give that pre-calculus for the students," said Mark Evans, Andover superintendent.

"And I'm not going to be supportive of not offering fine arts," he said. "Does it impact your funding? Yes. Same with athletics. These are important elements in creating positive and productive citizens."

The two lawmakers who lead the Legislature's education committees say parents and students shouldn't worry about programs disappearing.

"We're not going to eliminate programs for students who excel," said Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita.

Bringing all students up to proficiency in reading and math is a worthy goal, said Rep. Kathe Decker, R-Clay Center.

"But we can't dumb down other kids to do that," she said.

So far, however, no one has identified how to fund all the educational demands without tax increases or deep budget cuts elsewhere.

Kathy Souter worries that programs such as the one her son, who has been identified as gifted, attends at Minneha Elementary could face cuts.

"These kids our supposed to be our best and brightest, and when you short-change them, you're really short-changing our future," she said.

Joanna Kelly, mother of a gifted student at Allen Elementary, believes gifted programs were being curtailed even before the Standard & Poor's analysis was released.

"If they take money for things like No Child Left Behind, it's just not right," she added.

No Child Left Behind is the federal law that requires schools to make "adequate yearly progress" in bring all students up to proficiency in reading, math and, eventually, science.

Standard and Poor's used those proficiency standards in its analysis of how effectively schools spend money.

The top 16 schools in the company's report did better than expected on reading and math tests, given the number of students they had living in poverty, still learning English or dealing with disabilities.

And they accomplished the task at a lower cost than expected, said Michael Stewart, the company's director of performance evaluation services.

As a school administrator for 10 years, Stewart said, he helped develop programs that took high-achieving students well beyond required minimum standards.

"They provide unquestionable benefits to students," he said.

But if a district also has a significant number of students falling short of grade level in reading and math, he said, school boards are faced with a tough policy choice.

The company takes no position on those choices, he said, but adds, "At rock bottom, kids need to at least be mastering the basics."

But not at the expense of other valued programs, said Winston Brooks, Wichita superintendent.

Fine arts, advanced science and math classes, and special programs -- such as International Baccalaureate at East High -- are needed to meet the expectations of parents, students and future employers, he said.

"I feel very comfortable that the scope that we offer the constituents of Wichita is about where it should be," Brooks said.

Wichita is not alone with such offerings. Neighboring Derby, for example, provides advanced physics and math as well as performing arts courses.

"They're things that the American public expects, not just Derby," said Michael Pomarico, Derby's superintendent.

Brooks and other superintendents were briefed on the Standard & Poor's study the day after it was released.

He came away unsure what, if any, significance it had.

Although the 16 districts were cited for their effective use of tax dollars, the reasons were unclear.

Some spend more than the state average on administrative costs; some spend less.

Even some administrators in those districts weren't sure what put them on the list.

Denny Senseney of Wichita, a member of an advisory group Sebelius assembled to advise her on school matters, said school officials shouldn't jump to any conclusions about the initial Standard & Poor's results.

As owner of Senseney Music, which caters to students in music classes, he doesn't want or expect to see those programs gutted.

"I do think we have to drive all of the waste out," he said. "I think the concept is good, to take a business look at education."

The next step in Standard & Poor's process is an in-depth audit of four districts. Stewart said three are likely to be chosen from the 16 that scored high in the initial review.

Nicole Corcoran, the governor's spokeswoman, said Sebelius "looks forward to the audits coming up with concrete examples of how Kansas schools can become more efficient."

The company also intends, in December, to release the profiles of the 264 districts it analyzed.

Brooks said he hopes the next phase of the study will provide useful information for districts.

"I think that this study is so narrow in focus that it really doesn't tell us anything," he said. Until the company can clarify the results, he said, "I'm quite frankly not paying much attention to it."

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

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MHP,

Source: The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

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