|
OSPI releases federal improvement list, promotes school and district assistance
and recommends major changes to No Child Left Behind
OLYMPIA - August 28, 2008 - The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction today released the names of schools and districts identified for improvement as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, while also offering a comprehensive proposal to reform how the law is implemented so that its true purposes can be achieved.
Many more schools and districts are on the federal improvement list this year, due to a double-digit increase in the reading and math achievement targets elementary, middle and high schools were required to hit.
Four schools are coming off the list in 2008, after meeting all their federal achievement targets for the second straight year. Those schools are McKinley Elementary in Tacoma, Compass High School in Grandview, Visions (Seamar Youth Center) in Bellingham and Scriber Lake High School in Edmonds.
Under federal law, all states must create annual school and district improvement lists based on a complicated achievement matrix. Only those schools on the list that receive federal Title I funds, however, face an escalating series of consequences each year they do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). They also are required to notify parents of their improvement status at the start of the school year.
The term AYP comes from the federal requirement that all schools and districts will have a certain – and growing – percentage of the students passing the state’s reading and math tests each year, so that 100 percent of students in all schools nationwide will be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014.
A school moves into “improvement” status after it misses its AYP goals for two consecutive years in the same subject – reading or mathematics. A district moves into “improvement” status when it misses making AYP for two consecutive years in all three grade spans (elementary, middle, secondary) in any subgroup in the same subject area. Schools are evaluated in up to 37 categories, and districts in up to 111. They must meet achievement targets in every category to make AYP. To exit improvement, a school or district must meet AYP goals in each category for two consecutive years.
In 2008, 628 schools and 57 districts are in improvement status. That’s up from last year, when 280 schools and 30 districts were in improvement status. Of the 390 schools in Step 1 of improvement this year, about 100 of them missed AYP in just one or two categories.
“There is no question that every single one of our schools has room for improvement,” said Terry Bergeson, Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction. “However, this year the fatal flaws of No Child Left Behind have become abundantly clear. The law has gone too far.
“Many of the schools and districts on this year’s improvement list have met tough challenges and have made strong improvements. That work goes unrecognized under No Child Left Behind. The law provides no incentives for reaching ambitious achievement goals, only sanctions and punishments for schools and educators who ‘underperform,’ even in only one of the 37 possible categories.
“There is wonderful, heroic work going on in our schools, and I want parents and other members of our communities to know that they should look far beyond a school’s AYP status to determine the real quality of education that is being delivered there.”
Congress is poised to reauthorize No Child Left Behind in the coming year, and Bergeson today released her initial proposal for key reforms that must be made to return the law to what it was originally intended to be: a support mechanism for struggling schools and students. Key elements of the proposal include:
- Creating realistic achievement targets and flexible means of reaching them
- Overhauling the assessment and accountability system to increase fairness and equity
- Providing support to schools and districts to help them reach ambitious achievement goals
To read the complete proposal: (pdf)
“Educators in our state have worked diligently to implement the letter and spirit of No Child Left Behind, because we all believe in the goal: ensuring every child gets the best possible education we can offer,” Bergeson said. “But the unintended consequences of this law are undermining its intent. Accountability is essential, but it must be informative, rational and fair. The flawed design and punitive implementation of No Child Left Behind has overburdened our schools with testing, held many of our students accountable in inappropriate ways, and created serious morale problems in schools that are doing excellent work but being unfairly labeled.’
“In short, our federal government needs to get real, be fair, support our schools and pay for the recommendations they require. I look forward to partnering with a new President, members of Congress and education leaders throughout the country to make common-sense changes to this law that will save its worthwhile goal and make it work effectively.”
Calculating improvement status
AYP calculations are based on reading and mathematics scores from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, and the breakout of results by nine student profiles: all students, the five major ethnic groups, low-income status and inclusion in special education or English language learner programs. Other factors, such as unexcused student absences for elementary and middle schools or high school graduation rates, are also included in a school’s calculation.
If a school or district misses the goal in a single category, it fails to make AYP.
Improvement steps
There are five steps in the federal school improvement process. In Step 1 of improvement, schools must offer students the choice of transferring to another school. Supplemental services such as tutoring must be offered in Steps 2 through 5. At each step, the school must write or refine its school improvement plan.
Schools in Step 5 are required to institute “school restructuring” as defined by their school district. Potential restructuring strategies include replacing school staff members or entering into a contract with another entity with a proven track record for academic improvement.
Districts have two improvement status steps. In Step 1, a district must develop an improvement plan and may work with OSPI voluntarily. While districts in Step 2 are required to work with the state, OSPI remains focused on a collaborative effort to provide districts with access to information about reading and math programs and instructional interventions that are effective.
OSPI offers a comprehensive school and district improvement assistance program that helps improve student achievement. Services include support in building school and district improvement plans, professional development assistance, and limited grant money to implement improvement activities. In some cases, the program also provides facilitators who provide on-site improvement assistance.
Today’s lists are preliminary. Schools and districts will have an additional opportunity to appeal their status and review the data that was used in the AYP calculation. Scores from the August high school WASL testing also will be factored into results later this fall.
To see which schools and districts are affected by today’s announcement, download the lists from the OSPI Web site:
- School improvement list for 2008 (Word) (pdf)
- District improvement list for 2008 (Word) (pdf)
- PowerPoint slides showing 2008 achievement targets (ppt)
Other supporting information available online includes:
- Fact sheet on OSPI’s school improvement program (pdf)
- Fact sheet on OSPI’s district improvement program (pdf)
- Supt. Bergeson’s proposed revisions to the federal No Child Left Behind law (pdf)
To review preliminary AYP status of all Washington schools and districts, visit the OSPI online report card.
|