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No Child report has FF on list
Published Wednesday, August 6, 2008
This year’s list of schools that did not meet “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) standards toward future No Child Left Behind (NCLB) criteria was released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Education — and results show Fergus Falls didn’t make the cut.
“I don’t feel (the report) is accurate because it’s not the whole district,” said Fergus Falls curriculum director Carri Thompson. “There are very specific pockets of subject matter that are not making it.”
The AYP label was given to the Fergus Falls School District because of middle school special education reading scores and Area Learning Center math scores. Cleveland Elementary, McKinley Elementary, Virtual School of Minnesota and Fergus Falls Senior High all made AYP requirements.
On the list of area school districts that also did not meet AYP standards were Pelican Rapids, Perham, New York Mills, Parkers Prairie and Rothsay school districts.
Those that did meet AYP standards were Underwood, Battle Lake, West Central Area, Ashby and Henning school districts.
MCA-II tests are graded based on four criteria: exceeds the standards, meets the standards, partially meets the standards, does not meet the standards.
AYP standards are based on test results from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment Series II (MCA-II) math and reading test scores issued yearly to students in grades 3 through 11. And although overall test scores did improve throughout the state, students’ scores failed to reach this year’s higher targets.
State-wide, the list of individual schools that did not meet AYP standards increased from 727 schools in 2007 to 937 schools in 2008. Schools that did meet AYP standards dropped from 1,191 schools in 2007 to 983 schools in 2008.
As a whole, this is the second year the district was listed in the report. Area Learning Center math scores were under standards last year, which resulted in the school being labeled as in need of improvement and is required by the state to develop a two-year improvement plan.
The state is also mandating that a portion of the district’s Title 1 funding — given to districts based on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch — be spent on improving areas where scores are not adequate.
Last year, the Fergus Falls District did not meet AYP standards in middle school special education mathematics. This year, the district did meet standards for that category, but fell short when it came to middle school special education reading scores. The goal, said Superintendent Jerry Ness, will be to focus on both subjects in the same manner that students and educators did last year in regards to mathematics.
“We need to balance and be sure we’re paying attention to both,” he said.
Each year’s scores are designed to monitor schools’ improvements towards 2014 NCLB standards, which require that each school’s test results indicate 100 percent proficiency, meaning students test to either meet or exceed standards.
Scores are reported in eight specific groups: white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, English language learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged. If a school’s test results in one of these categories does not meet expectations, the school is labeled as not meeting AYP.
Consequently, the entire district is labeled as not meeting AYP, unless it can prove that 10 percent of students who tested at non-proficient levels on the previous test had improved to meet proficiency for this year, and that the school’s graduation and attendance requirements were met.
Assistant education commissioner Karen Klinzing said that, state-wide, schools must align curriculum from one grade to the next to allow for on-going improvement.
Klinzing also said that state-wide teaching seminars, such as the Math and Science Teacher Academy hosted in Fergus Falls this week, will provide teachers with tools to better help schools along in the adjustment process.
District offices closed Friday:
The Fergus Falls School District will close its office doors Friday because power to the middle school will be shut off, disrupting service for the entire district.
Power will be shut off for four hours, but the district will be down the entire day to avoid potential problems. All telephone systems, the Internet and access to servers for all school buildings will be down.
By the Numbers:
Associated Press
A year-by-year look at the number of schools identified as not making adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
There were 1,920 public schools getting a status report this year, including four schools within Minnesota that are run by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
2008: 937
2007: 727
2006: 483
2005: 247
2004: 464
2003: 144
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by daidres (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is scary to see that our future leaders of our country are not being given the adequate learning tools to succeed. Look at the HUGE number increase from 2003 to present of schools not meeting the requirements. It's time to do something about it instead of ignoring the issues at hand. I am bewildered at the numbers, how could it have gotten this bad. When we noticed the number of schools on the failed list rising, we should have done something before it got to the point it is at right now.
Posted by JAnderson (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I love it...quick to accuse the school system(s) and relieve the kids of any responsibility. Why is it that back in the day there weren't nearly the opportunities, yet we turned out great. Today, kids are coddled and the first response when things aren't going their way is "it's someone's fault." Fact is, they have to take responsibility for their actions too. Their work ethics are mimimal, they whine when things are hard, they can't communicate, no eye contact, more dependent...and we always scream "IT'S SOMEONE'S FAULT!" Not my kid!! We can't do it for them always. They have to do it for themselves.
Posted by metasonics (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
my son who is 14 has made honor roll for the past 3 years, in spite of having physical disabilities.
it can be done.
Our schools do need more resources, but even so my Son has achieved.
He knows that there are limited resources and that it is his responsibility to respect the time his teachers give him and do his best with what He's got.
That is what I've taught him!
it is these type of values that must be taught at home for our children to learn.
Jamie Cooper
Posted by FergusFamily (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
JAnderson you are right on. My spouse is a teacher at the high school and I hear horrible stories about parents whose children are not doing well. Their kids are lazy or too involved with extra curricular things and the parents are making excuses for them and asking for special treatment instead of holding the kids accountable and focusing on schoolwork. I'm not saying it's the parents fault either - but they aren't always helping!
Posted by gumball (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats to Underwood schools again. They seem to really have it together fiscally & academically. Maybe if the cellphones and texting were elinated during class periods, they might learn a tad bit more!! The work ethic and other skills may seem minimal. That's cause they're teenagers!! there still learning and developing those skills. If they don't get some of it at home, then how are they supposed to develop them. We raised 3 in our house and two learned how to communicate,be dependable, an all that. The third acted like a prima-donna from 8 years old and was allowed to continue to do it. Can't place all the blame on the schools.
Posted by daidres (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, there are many children in the school system who slip under the cracks because of the lack of attention from their teachers. Admit it, some kids get more attention than others for reasons other children can not control. IT's all in who you know, and what you do. I graduated from Fergus Falls, and if I would have had just a bit more attention from teachers, I probably would have done better.I just did what I had to , just to get a diploma. Some kids need an extra boost to do better, and if they had the adequate instuments to do so, I bet you anything we'd have a lot of smart kids graduating. Not only that, if teachers and counselors spent half the time they do speaking to the kids getting scholarships for their awesome GPA, sports talents,or because their parents can afford college, these kids just getting by would be persuing college, but instead, they just worry about if they can graduate or not. This doesn't just go for good ol' Fergus Falls, we will always and forever have schools where it's all in who you know. Like my Father always said "You can point and blame all you want, but when you point your finger at someone, look at your hand, you will always have 3 fingers pointing right back at ya!" We are all to blame, so do something about it.
Posted by Sumwun (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 4:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the bold plan of the school district canning a bunch of teachers and increasing class size will do the trick. It just might work...or not.
Posted by oh_its_you (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The thing is is that NCLB isn't really a cut and dry thing. There is more that goes into it than just test scores. Attendance is another factor that plays into it, for example. The other thing is, they don't compare apples to apples so to say. They take this years 3rd graders to next years 3rd graders, without consideration of special education or other things that can cause test scores to go down. All kids are tested at grade level, rather than the level they are at on things. So a student on an IEP that still does 7th grade math in 8th grade would have to take the 8th grade math portion. So while they may have really cought up over the school year, they are still at a disadvantage. It is really a messed up system. There is no one person to blame, our kids aren't getting dumber. Another thing to point out is that the schools aren't meeting AYP or adequate yearly PROGRESS. If you get the smae scores or even slightly lower, that is not progress. While they can release numbers, without some explanations it looks a lot more grim than it is.
Posted by hightag08 (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 6:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Plain and Simple, NLCB is RIDICULOUS.. There are many quality districts that are not making "Adequate Yearly Progress" It's possible that in 2014, when schools are required to have 100 percent passing, that every school in the state will be on the list......Does that mean that all our schools are inadequate??
Posted by klingetb (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Seems to me all the schools that made the cut were small student to teacher ratio schools. It looks like Fergus schools should stop cutting teachers and focus on minimizing class size.
Posted by TKay (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The evaluation process for NCLB is flawed. For example, look at one of the top ranked schools in the state. Combining the 2007-08 MCA-II results across all grades tested shows that Edina students rank number one in the state in both mathematics and reading. Their HS was also ranked 93rd in the latest Newsweek poll of high schools in America. Edina had the highest ranking of any school in Minnesota. Guess what they did not make AYP. There is an interesting interactive map on the star tribune website.
All schools have strengths and weaknesses. It is important community members, families, students and schools work together for our community's students.
Posted by wes (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Another case in point that we should privatize education,
the goverment and NEA are failing time after time. But
we citizens keep on thinking goverment can be all things
to all people.
Posted by doctipster (anonymous) on August 7, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
diadres hit the nail on the head. In fergus falls if you can't shoot a basketball, hit a baseball, or most certianly hit a puck with a stick, you really aren't noticed by our teachers...
Did anyone ever think that maybe just maybe the teachers aren't comfortable enough to want to excell. I mean every year they have to worry about getting laid off, why blame the children, lets start at the top. My parents always told me s**T runs downhill so lets start at the top. Teachers... NO ...superintendents and school board members who consistently lay off our good teachers and then the good ones leave,,,, thats who to blame.
This town is dying, and here we are pumping more money into a school system that doesn't even adequatly teach our children. Way to go Fergus, let the retirement community thrive....
Posted by oh_its_you (anonymous) on August 7, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
while i think that daidres and doctipster are making a good point it is not fair to put all teachers in this category. There are some excellent teachers at the middle school (John Demuth being one of them along with a few others) as well as Dean Monke, that really do try their hardest to make sure that kids are not falling between the cracks.
Posted by TKay (anonymous) on August 7, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Education Minnesota and union rules (like seniority) dictate in what order teachers are retained or released.
This is our community if you want change, get involved!
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