‘Inadequate’ schools list shrinks

Friday, March 1, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.

The number of Clark County schools rated as "inadequate" by the state Department of Education dropped from 13 in 1996 to just four this year, a new report shows.

The list of inadequate schools is compiled using results from the national Terra Nova Basic Skills test given in the fall. Schools that finish with 40 percent or more of its students in the bottom quarter of the national results are placed on the state's list.

The four schools designated as needing improvement are: Kelly, Lynch-Edison and Tate elementary schools, and Monaco Middle School, all located in Las Vegas.

Lynch-Edison will be placed on two years' academic probation because this is the school's second consecutive year of low test scores, said Jack McLaughlin, state superintendent of public instruction.

Two Clark County schools, Fitzgerald Elementary School and Martin Middle School, will be taken off academic probation after showing improvement on the 2001 scores, McLaughlin said. Fitzgerald had been designated as needing improvement for the past four years, while Martin was on the list for two years.

"The Department of Education staff has worked closely with the principals and teachers of both schools to carry out their respective programs of achievement," McLaughlin said. "We applaud the dedication and efforts of the teachers, other school staff and administrators at each site for their work with the students to increase academic achievement."

McLaughlin's report also singled out schools that qualified for the state's top designation for academic achievement. Three Washoe County schools were ranked as "exemplary," with at least half of their students scoring in the top quarter of the national results in reading, mathematics, science and language arts.

One Clark County school, Advanced Technologies Academy, met the test score requirements for the "exemplary achievement" designation but missed the required 95 percent attendance rate by just a tenth of a percent.

The Las Vegas Academy was singled out as a high-achieving school by the state superintendent, with at least 40 percent of its students finishing in the top quarter on the national basic skills test.