• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

More Iowa Schools Not Up to standardsThe Federal No Child Left Behind Law Has Led to Tougher Student Achievement Criteria.On the List

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

For the second year in a row, the Council Bluffs Community School District has been designated by the state as "in need of assistance."

Four of its schools -- Abraham Lincoln High, Thomas Jefferson High, Kirn Junior High and Woodrow Wilson Junior High -- also did not meet student performance targets this year.

Lewis Central Middle School -- in the Bluffs but in a separate school district -- also was on the list.

Statewide, the number of schools that failed to meet federal achievement standards grew this year, state education officials said.

The state identified 94 public schools and 14 school districts that failed to meet the standards, up from 66 schools and nine districts last year. Twelve of the schools face sanctions.

Six schools in Sioux City and two in Storm Lake also were on the list.

Nebraska will release a similar report in November, with the State of the Schools Report following in December.

The Iowa increase was caused, in part, by tougher standards set by the state under No Child Left Behind, the three-year-old federal accountability program.

"The targets got tougher,'' said Tom Deeter, assessment consultant for the Iowa Department of Education. "For the first couple of years of implementation, the targets were the same. . . . 2005 was that first big step, so they had to have more kids proficient in their groups.''

Richard Christie, superintendent of the Council Bluffs district, said Tuesday that the district is focusing on improving the scores of special-education and low-income students. Students in specific subgroups must reach targets for the district to meet them.

"We believe we can close the achievement gap," he said. "We are focused on that whether we are on a list or not."

Data released by the Iowa Department of Education show that the Council Bluffs district needs to improve its scores in reading and math.

A districtwide designation of needing assistance means students in each of the tested grades -- 4, 8 and 11 -- missed their performance targets in the problem area, said Kathi Slaughter, spokeswoman for the State Education Department. The district reached its targets in graduation rates, attendance and student participation in the tests.

Abraham Lincoln High and Woodrow Wilson Junior High missed the target scores in both reading and math. Thomas Jefferson High was short in reading, and Kirn was short in math.

Lewis Central Middle School did not meet the goal in math. David Black, a district administrator who focuses on school improvement, said the school's low-income students did not reach the target score. Lewis Central is developing a plan now.

Schools that fail to meet the goals for two consecutive years are placed on a list of schools in need of assistance. Districts can be placed on the list if they fail to meet attendance or graduation rates for two straight years.

Schools that fail to meet goals for one year are placed on a separate "watch list,'' which will be released next month.

Failing to reach the standards can affect federal Title I funding, which helps districts with a high percentage of poor students.

Slaughter said that because the Council Bluffs-area schools on the list do not receive federal money designated for programs for low-income students, they are not subject to the sanctions of the No Child Left Behind law.

But, she said, they will have to follow Iowa's guidelines.

"Iowa has its own rules," Slaughter said. "They have to meet what Iowa has in place."

That includes developing a school improvement plan and specific goals.

The number of schools on the list is expected to grow with the continued rise in expectations, officials said.

Pam Pfitzenmaier, an Iowa Department of Education administrator, said the law makes schools pay closer attention to how groups of students are doing.

"To the extent that No Child Left Behind has encouraged us to look at subpopulations . . . I think that's been a benefit,'' she said. "It's really caused us to dig down and take corrective action.''

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

On the list

Schools that fail to meet the goals for two consecutive years are placed on a list of schools in need of assistance. Schools in western Iowa on the list include: Council Bluffs: Abraham Lincoln High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, Kirn Junior High School, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School, Lewis Central Middle School. Fort Dodge: Fort Dodge High School, Phillips Middle School, Fair Oaks Middle School. Sioux City: East High School, North High School, West High School, East Middle School, West Middle School, Hunt Elementary School. Storm Lake: Storm Lake High School, Storm Lake Middle School.

Source: Omaha World - Herald

More News in this Category