Annapolis High Meets Test Goals

By ELISABETH HULETTE Staff Writer

Great cheers and sighs of relief went up at Annapolis High yesterday when teachers and students learned that after six long years and enduring some tough changes, their school finally has met state targets on standardized tests.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Christine Koffman, 17, president of the senior class. “At first we were that school where people get shot at and we can’t make AYP, but now we made AYP and we’re doing really well.”

Adequate Yearly Progress is a measure of whether schools are moving toward requirements on reading and math tests set out by the federal No Child Left Behind law. In Maryland high schools, AYP is based on attendance and students’ performance on the High School Assessment.

This is the first time Annapolis High has made AYP since the law was passed, and if the school can do it again this year, it will get off the state’s watch list.

Results for other high schools will be released later, state education officials said. The news about Annapolis High was released early only because Anne Arundel asked the state for special permission.

That news is a triumph for school officials who have endured criticism over the past two years for enacting major changes that sometimes upset parents, students and the surrounding community.

“The news that we made AYP gives a sense that we are vindicated,” said Enrique Melendez, president of the county Board of Education.

Missing AYP for six years put a spotlight on Annapolis High. When it became clear the state would step in if student achievement didn’t improve, the superintendent and other county school officials took action, pouring in money, extra staffing and other resources.

Now, Annapolis High has an after-school cafe and tutoring center, an Achievement Steering Committee that examines data on student grades and test scores and eight “community ambassadors” who locate absent students and bring them back to school.

Not all the changes came easily. When Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell zero-based the school in 2007, telling teachers to reapply for their jobs and eventually turning over about half the staff, some much-loved teachers were lost and parents were angry.

But upon hearing the news yesterday, teachers said they clapped and cheered. Some swapped high fives. Some cried.

Some students shrugged.

“Our school’s finally adequate, so that’s good,” said senior Quentin Rayhart, 17.

But others said they’ve felt a real sea change – a growing sense of school spirit and a decline in violence, accompanied by the arrival of young and energetic new teachers.

John Pindell, 17, a senior on the football team, said the relationship between students and teachers feels more like friendship this year.

“They brought in new, younger teachers, better able to relate to us,” he said.

Several students pointed to a new advisory period in their schedule that gives them time during the school day to work with teachers, get extra tutoring help and participate in clubs. School counselor Robin Cooper said that extra time fosters key relationships that help students realize they can turn to and trust their teachers for help.

Senior Jenna Kleponis, 17, said administrators have been cracking down on fights, truancy and tardiness for the past two years, amplifying their vigilance and enforcing stricter punishments.

The number of disciplinary referrals at Annapolis High fell by 44.7 percent between 2006 and 2008, said schools spokesman Bob Mosier.

Ms. Kleponis also said the shooting death of 11th-grader Kwame Johnson last spring in the Robinwood public housing community shocked students who have since kept the rivalries between housing communities out of their school.

“You used to see kids throwing up neighborhood (hand) signs in the hallway, and you don’t see that anymore,” she said.

Moving forward

But just as county school officials celebrate their victory at Annapolis High, they face another challenge at Annapolis Middle School.

Like Annapolis High before it, the middle school has failed to meet state testing standards for five years. And it could have a steeper hill to climb: Schools need to meet standards overall and in groups designated by race, special education, poverty and limited proficiency in English, and while Annapolis High missed three categories in 2007, Annapolis Middle missed nine in 2008.

Bates, the other middle school that sends students to Annapolis High, made AYP last year for the first time since 2004.

Chris Truffer, performance director for Annapolis schools, said school officials aren’t planning to use the same improvement tactics on the middle school as they did at the high school. Instead, they’re working on a plan specific to the needs at Annapolis Middle.

“We’d like the same good result as here,” Mr. Truffer said yesterday after a press conference at the high school, “but that’s not to say we’re going to do things the same way.”

Officials also need to keep up their efforts at Annapolis High. To get off the state’s watch list, students need to meet targets – which rise six to eight percent annually – again this year. Dr. Maxwell said making AYP shows the school is on the right path, but his office will keep pushing for higher student achievement.

“Nobody’s going to let their guard down,” said Beth Bodkin, a former president of Annapolis High’s parent association. “There are still a lot of kids that need help.” {Corrections:} {Status:}

(c) 2008 Capital (Annapolis). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.