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More Schools Fail U.S. Standards ; Officials Blame Increase on Change in Scoring

Posted on: Thursday, 11 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

Statewide, more schools fell short of reaching federal standards in 2004-05 than the year before - and the number almost doubled in Passaic County, officials announced Wednesday.

The state Department of Education said 851 of the state's 2,398 public and charter schools have not met federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks, based on preliminary standardized test scores. That compares with 585 the year before.

In Passaic County, 63 schools did not meet federal standards, up from 35 in 2004.

The AYP is one of the many standards set by the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates that by 2014, every school in the country will attain 100 percent proficiency in mathematics and language arts literacy.

Education officials attributed the increase in the number of failing schools to two federally approved changes in scoring this year. Up until this year, the state used results of standardized tests for the fourth, eighth and 11th grades.

Now, third-grade scores are included with the fourth-grade results, and the percentages of students that must pass standardized tests have been increased.

There are 40 indicators that each school is expected to meet, based on such factors as race, economic status, limited English proficiency and special education. School district administrators across North Jersey said test scores posted by students with learning disabilities, or who are still learning English, have unfairly marked schools as either "early warning" or "in need of improvement."

For example, schools 2, 4, 11, 12, 15, and 17 in Clifton have not met AYP standards, placing them on a first-year "early warning" list, in part, said Clifton Schools Superintendent Michael Rice, because special education and English learners must take the same standardized tests as the general student population.

"It is nonsensical by the federal government ... to require that children with a severe cognitive impairment achieve at the same level fundamentally as other students on test day," Rice said. "They're educated differently throughout the rest of the year because they have different needs."

At Lincoln Middle School in Passaic, 24.9 percent of Hispanic students taking the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment passed this year, compared to the 49 percent AYP benchmark. But that equates to 72 more students passing since 2003, representing an increase of almost 11 percentage points.

The standard setters don't "measure growth," said Passaic schools Superintendent Robert H. Holster. "They only want to see the end result."

Holster said he has created two new supervisory positions - in language literacy and bilingual education - for the district this coming school year. The district also hired 18 language literacy coaches and math coaches to help boost test scores.

Drastic measures

Lincoln Middle School in Passaic, along with schools 5, 6, 10, 12, 15 and 20 in Paterson, are among 71 schools in New Jersey that have not met AYP standards for a fifth consecutive year and are in a critical stage known as "restructuring."

Restructuring requires schools to choose one of several options in case, for a sixth consecutive year, they again fail to meet standards. They include:

* Replacing key school administrators and staff, including the principal.

* Contracting with an outside company, subject to the state's approval, to operate the school.

* State intervention in the school's operations.

* Reopening the school as a public charter school.

The state will work with schools to determine which would be the best choice for them. Final decisions would be made by January.

Earlier this year, the six Paterson schools and one Passaic school rated for restructuring also were required to undergo a sweeping review by the state, which recommended ways to improve teaching methods and get more parents involved in education - all in hopes of bettering test scores. All seven schools are expected to implement the recommendations for the 2005-06 school year.

Paterson schools Superintendent Michael E. Glascoe, who began overseeing the state-run district on July 18, said there will be two coaches in language arts and math placed at every elementary school in the city starting in September.

"School improvement plans are being tweaked and everyone is going to be held accountable, including us [district administrators]," Glascoe said.

Labeled inaccurate

In Passaic County, Paterson and Passaic are among the 31 low- income, mostly urban so-called Abbott districts that get additional funding from the state.

State Commissioner of Education William Librera said Wednesday that although the state must comply with No Child Left Behind, the result "doesn't accurately capture progress that's being made in the state."

"If you just respond to labels and lists and averages, you always miss the big part of the story," he said.

Schools that fail to meet AYP standards the first time are placed on an "early warning" list.

A second year or more and they are placed on an "in need of improvement" list. Based on how many years they are on the list, schools face varying degrees of sanctions, from giving parents a chance to send their child to another school in-district to requiring that a school's federal aid be spent on tutoring or other supplemental services.

'Early warning' list

Across New Jersey, 376 schools have been placed on the "early warning" list, including 30 in Passaic County.

In addition to the Clifton schools, the list includes schools 1, 8, 9 and 10 in Passaic and schools 7, 9, 14, 16, 19, 24, 29 and the Alexander Hamilton Academy in Paterson.

Several high schools in Passaic County have been labeled as "early warning": Passaic Valley, Manchester Regional, Lakeland Regional, Hawthorne and Wayne Hills.

Schools among the 161 statewide that were removed from either the "early warning" or "in need of improvement" list this year include Norman S. Weir School in Paterson and Lincoln Middle School in Hawthorne.

This year, 138 schools are on "hold" status, meaning they have met all AYP benchmarks and have the chance to get off "early warning" or "in need of improvement" lists if they meet standards again in 2005-06. Among them are schools 11, 18 and 26 in Paterson. The state expects to release a final list later this year.

***

E-mail: ortize@northjersey.com and smithja@northjersey.com

(SIDEBAR, page L08)

Missed the standard

The state Department of Education released its list of schools that failed to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" this year. AYP is based on standardized test scores in math, reading and language.

County City School Year missed AYP

BERGEN GARFIELD GARFIELD HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

THOMAS JEFFERSON YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

ELMWOOD PARK MEMORIAL SENIOR HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

MIDDLE SCHOOL YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

LODI LODI HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

WILSON YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

COLUMBUS YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

WALLINGTON BORO FRANK W. GAVLAK YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

PASSAIC PASSAIC CITY NUMBER 4 LINCOLN YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

PASSAIC HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 6 MARTIN L. KING YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 11 CRUISE MEMORIAL YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 1 THOMAS JEFFERSON YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 8 PULASKI YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 9 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 10 ROOSEVELT YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

PATERSON NUMBER 5 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 6 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 10 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 12 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 15 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 20 YEAR 5 - RESTRUCTURING 1

NUMBER 13 YEAR 4 - CORRECTIVE ACTION

NUMBER 26 YEAR 4 - CORRECTIVE ACTION

JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

EASTSIDE HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 2 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 3 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 8 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 17 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 21 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 25 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

EDWARD W. KILPATRICK YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 11 YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

NUMBER 4 YEAR 2 - CHOICE

MARTIN L. KING YEAR 2 - CHOICE

NUMBER 18 YEAR 2 - CHOICE

NUMBER 28 YEAR 2 - CHOICE

ALEXANDER HAMILTON ACADEMY YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 7 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 9 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 14 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 16 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 19 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 24 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 29 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

CLIFTON CLIFTON HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

WOODROW WILSON YEAR 2 - CHOICE

NUMBER 2 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 4 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 11 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 12 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 15 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

NUMBER 17 YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

PASSAIC COUNTY VOCATIONAL PASSAIC CO TECH INSTITUTE YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

PROSPECT PARK BORO NUMBER 1 PROSPECT PARK YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

WEST MILFORD TWP WEST MILFORD HIGH YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

MACOPIN YEAR 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

MARSHALL HILL YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

HALEDON BORO HALEDON PUBLIC SCHOOL YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

HAWTHORNE BORO HAWTHORNE HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

WASHINGTON YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

LAKELAND REGIONAL LAKELAND REGIONAL HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

MANCHESTER REGIONAL MANCHESTER REGIONAL HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

PASSAIC VALLEY REGIONAL PASSAIC VALLEY HIGH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

WANAQUE BORO HASKELL YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

WAYNE TWP WAYNE HILLS YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

SCHUYLER-COLFAX YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

GEORGE WASHINGTON YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

PATERSON CS FOR SCI/TECH PATERSON CS FOR SCI/TECH YEAR 1 - EARLY WARNING

Source: Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.

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