More Schools Get Poor Grades: 56 South Sound Schools Must Improve ? 10 More Than Last Year, State Says

By Debby Abe, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.

Aug. 25–The number of Washington schools on the federal government’s “needs improvement” list rose to 281, about 12 percent more than last year, according to preliminary state figures released Friday.

That number includes 56 schools in the South Sound, 10 more than last year. In addition, four South Sound school districts — Bethel, Clover Park, Tacoma and North Thurston — are among the 30 in the state that must improve districtwide.

State schools chief Terry Bergeson said the increase likely stems from a change in the way the federal government requires states to measure academic achievement. Starting this year, schools were measured based on a greater number of grades tested, making it more difficult to achieve “adequate yearly progress” on reading and math scores.

In previous years, adequate progress was based largely on scores from the fourth-, seventh- and 10th-grade versions of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. This year, WASL scores in third, fifth, sixth and eighth grades also figured into the calculation.

Schools and districts that don’t hit the target in the same subject for two consecutive years land on the federal government’s list.

“Many of the schools on this year’s improvement list have met tough challenges and have made strong improvements,” said Bergeson. “Unfortunately, due to the overly complex requirements of the federal law, those accomplishments may go unrecognized and uncelebrated.”

To make adequate progress, schools and districts are judged on the total percent of students who pass the WASL, along with student categories based on ethnicity, low-income status, and participation in the special education or English language learner programs.

If schools or districts miss the goal for even one subgroup, they are deemed to have not made adequate progress.

If schools have few or no students in one of those 37 categories, that category doesn’t figure into the formula. This year, since a greater number of students figured into the calculation, more schools were judged on more categories — and had more chances to miss a target.

While 281 schools are on the dreaded list, the only ones facing concrete consequences are those receiving federal Title I funds to help low-income students.

In the South Sound, the list includes eight such schools in Tacoma, four in Clover Park, and one each in the Puyallup and Peninsula districts.

The escalating sanctions range from giving students the option to transfer to another school in the same district to requiring schools to undergo major restructuring.

Parents of students in those schools are receiving letters informing them of their school’s status and their options to have their student attend another school or receive tutoring paid for by the district.

Bergeson advises parents receiving the letters to investigate further to determine if their school is raising achievement and serving their child well.

“This year there’ll be a lot more middle- and higher-income schools (not making adequate progress) but they don’t have to say anything to anybody,” Bergeson said. “A poor school in the Title I program could have improved dramatically and still didn’t quite make it … but they’re not a failure.”

Clover Park School District got on the district list for the first time after missing its goals in elementary, middle school and high school math, said Clover Park deputy superintendent Debbie LeBeau.

“We’re working really hard and improving,” said Clover Park deputy superintendent Debbie LeBeau. “We’re just not improving quickly enough to have met that target.”

LeBeau said the district’s new assessment system, which gives teachers more frequent updates on specific math and reading skills that students need to practice, will expand from the middle school grades to ninth grade.

Meanwhile, 500 Bethel teachers showed up in the largest turnout ever for the district’s summer training institute, which included training on math instruction, said district spokesman Mark Wenzel. In addition, the district is introducing a high school math program for struggling students and a new elementary math curriculum, on top of last year’s new junior high math program.

“We remain really hopeful that we’ll see some really good progress here,” Wenzel said.

Once schools receive the “needs improvement” designation, they must meet all targets for two consecutive years to get off the list.

For instance, some South Sound schools made adequate progress this year but must repeat that feat next year to get off the list: Blix, Boze, McCarver, McKinley and Sheridan elementary schools in Tacoma; Curtis High School in University Place; Auburn Riverside High School; and the Tacoma District/Tacoma Community College Fresh Start program.

Elsewhere in the state, six schools hit their targets for two years and exited the list altogether.

The Tacoma School District, which has 20 schools on the list, is buoyed by the performance of those schools meeting this year’s goals but continues to work toward improvement, spokeswoman Leanna Albrecht said. It’s introducing a new high school math curriculum this year and offering interventions, including special classes and tutoring, district.

“We’re focusing on all students achieving at all levels, and working with the state on school improvement plans,” Albrecht said. “Every school is working hard.”

Adequate yearly progress status

Among 281 statewide, there are 56 South Sound schools that need improvement under a federal education law, the state announced Thursday. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, the schools on the list that receive federal money must institute measures including extra tutoring and offering students an opportunity to attend another school. There are five steps of improvement, though no South Sound school placed worse than Step 4 this year. To get off “improvement” status, schools must make “adequate yearly progress” for two consecutive years. The results released Thursday are preliminary. Schools have an opportunity to appeal their improvement status. A final list will be released this fall.

DistrictSchool Met AYP Met AYP2007

in 2006in 2007Step

AuburnOlympic Middle SchoolNo No 2

AuburnAuburn Riverside High School NoYes3

Auburn West Auburn Senior High SchoolNoNo3

Auburn Auburn Senior High School NoNo4

Bethel Graham Kapowsin High SchoolNoNo1

Bethel Cedarcrest Junior High NoNo1

Bethel Bethel Junior High NoNo2

Bethel Spanaway Junior HighNoNo2

Bethel Bethel High SchoolNo No4

Bethel Spanaway Lake High SchoolNoNo4

Clover Park Tyee Park Elementary SchoolNoNo1

Clover Park A-I High School YesNo 1

Clover Park Clover Park High SchoolNoNo2

Clover Park Lakes High SchoolNoNo2

Clover Park Lochburn Middle SchoolNoNo2

Clover Park Woodbrook Middle SchoolNoNo2

Clover Park Southgate Elementary SchoolNoNo3

Federal WayTotem Middle SchoolNoNo1

Federal Way Kilo Middle SchoolYesNo1

Federal Way Decatur High SchoolYesNo2

Federal Way Federal Way Senior High SchoolNoNo2

Federal Way Saghalie Middle SchoolNoNo2

Federal Way Thomas Jefferson High SchoolNoNo2

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce High SchoolNoNo1

Franklin Pierce Perry G Keithley Middle SchoolNoNo2

Franklin Pierce Washington High SchoolNoNo3

North ThurstonChinook Middle SchoolNoNo1

Peninsula Henderson Bay Alt. High SchoolNoNo2

Puyallup Puyallup High SchoolYesNo1

Puyallup E.B. Walker High SchoolNoNo1

Puyallup Gov. John Rogers High SchoolNoNo1

Puyallup Chief Leschi SchoolsNoNo4

TacomaHunt Middle SchoolNoNo1

Tacoma Blix Elementary SchoolNoYes1

Tacoma Boze Elementary SchoolNoYes1

Tacoma McCarver ElementaryNoYes1

Tacoma McKinley Elementary SchoolNoYes1

Tacoma Sheridan Elementary SchoolNoYes1

Tacoma Angelo Giaudrone Middle SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma Baker Middle SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma Foss High SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma Gray Middle SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma Stadium High SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma Wilson High SchoolNoNo2

Tacoma TCC Fresh StartNoYes3

Tacoma Stewart Middle SchoolNoNo3

Tacoma Gault Middle SchoolNoNo4

Tacoma Jason Lee Middle SchoolNoNo4

Tacoma Lincoln High SchoolNoNo4

Tacoma McIlvaigh Middle SchoolNoNo4

Tacoma Mount Tahoma High SchoolNoNo4

Tacoma Oakland Alternative High SchoolNoNo4

University Place Curtis Senior HighNoYes1

White River Collins Alternative ProgramsNoNo3

Bold type indicates schools receiving federal Title I funds, which will be affected by sanctions.

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

debby.abe@thenewstribune.com

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