Fayette Schools Improve Federal Test Scores, High Schools Lag

By Raviya H. Ismail, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

Aug. 5–Nearly three-fourths of Fayette County public schools met their federal No Child Left Behind goals, but none of the district’s five high schools — including Bryan Station High, which failed for the sixth year in a row — met targets.

While district schools made steady progress, gains may not be fast enough to meet the federal mandate of getting 100 percent of students to reach proficiency by 2014.

“Our people are working extremely hard and at the same time, we’re getting district-wide overall progress but it just has to be faster,” said Fayette Superintendent Stu Silberman.

NCLB is a federal statute that measures achievement in public schools based on state tests in reading and math. In Kentucky, the results come from annual tests taken under CATS, or the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System. CATS scores will be released in September.

Schools that receive federal money for low-income students — known as Title 1 schools — must meet certain scores under NCLB or risk sanctions that include offering students the option of transferring to better-performing schools. The worst-performing schools can eventually face complete overhauls of school management.

Bryan Station High has failed to make adequate progress for six straight years. This year, only 26.13 percent of students scored high enough in math while 50.12 percent of students scored well in reading. Bryan Station High is the district’s only Title 1 high school.

Silberman said the district is working with Kentucky Department of Education officials to put a team of experts into the school to help improve student achievement. Bryan Station High officials must revise their school improvement plan, offer additional tutoring, and implement both corrective action and a restructuring plan.

Because none of Fayette’s high schools achieved NCLB goals this year, Bryan Station High students cannot transfer to another school, which is typically a requirement for all Title 1 schools that do not meet the federal mandate. Bryan Station High students can obtain extra tutoring if they need it.

Winburn Middle School is the district’s biggest success story. That school, which has a large special-needs population, reached NCLB goals for the first time ever this year.

Winburn met NCLB targets by making huge gains in several categories. For example, double-digit gains mean that 28.89 percent of their special needs students scored proficient and distinguished in math and 37.78 percent scored proficient and distinguished in reading.

Winburn and other schools that make such dramatic improvements are granted a special classification known as the safe harbor provision.

Overall, Winburn had 54.43 percent of students reaching proficient and distinguished in math and 62.34 percent of students scoring proficient and distinguished in reading.

Winburn offered extra tutoring and assistance every Tuesday and Thursday for students and offered 90 minutes both of Language Arts and math instruction every day, Principal Tina Stevenson said.

Winburn teachers, administrators and staff celebrated their win Monday with a barbecue lunch, ginger ale in champagne glasses, music and streamers.

While watching a PowerPoint presentation that listed the names of all students that scored high, hollers and cheers turned to tears as more and more students’ names were read. Stevenson stopped dancing long enough to remove her glasses and wipe her eyes with a tissue.

“We had days we cried and we had days we prayed together, but we are a family and we support each other,” Stevenson said. “We held everybody’s feet to the fire… We realize we have a way to go, but we’re doing alright.”

Despite meeting NCLB targets this year, Fayette school officials will continue to offer support to Winburn, which must also meet goals next year before sanctions are lifted.

Winburn school officials will offer students the option of transferring, revise their school improvement plan, offer additional tutoring, implement corrective action and have the district revise an alternative governance plan developed last year.

Other Title 1 schools that did not meet NCLB goals were Cardinal Valley Elementary, which failed for the second year in a row; and Crawford, Leestown and Tates Creek middle schools, which have all missed targets for four consecutive years. Those schools must offer transfers, as well as Winburn and Russell Cave Elementary, which both made goals but must meet targets for two consecutive years.

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

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