PTA chief urges parents to get involved

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 | 11:52 a.m.

D.J. Stutz, president of the Nevada PTA, hopes "watch list," and "No Child Left Behind," and "adequate yearly progress"-- aka "AYP" -- are all becoming part of every parent's vocabulary.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires school districts to test all students and show gains every year, with 100 percent of pupils demonstrating proficiency in reading, English and mathematics by 2013. As required by the law, the Nevada Education Department released a watch list Wednesday of schools that have not shown AYP for at least one year. The list included 131 Clark County schools.

The news Wednesday that more than half the schools in Clark County had failed to meet new federal standards for test scores could be a powerful motivator, Stutz said.

"Parents need it to truly understand what this all means," Stutz said Wednesday. "If their child's school is on any of the lists, I hope they take the time to find out why. The next step should be to go to the school office, find out what committees need help and see what they can do to help with the improvements."

In addition to the 131 campuses on the watch list, the Clark County School District already had identified 18 campuses as not showing AYP for at least two consecutive years. Those were designated as needing improvement. That means more than 51 percent of the district's 289 schools have fallen short of the new federal standards for at least one year.

There are still some appeals pending, said Karlene McCormick-Lee, director of research and accountability for the district. Several schools are on the watch list because of shortfalls in a single category, McCormick-Lee said.

"This is the list we're working with, but there are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out," McCormick-Lee said. "This is the first year of this process and it's a work in progress for all of us."

Districts must show gains both by schools and "subgroups" of students, including ethnic groups, special education, non-native English speakers and low-income. In addition to having students show proficiency, schools must also meet 95 percent participation rates campus-wide and by each "subgroup."

Schools that do not meet benchmarks face sanctions, with the toughest penalties facing campuses that serve a high number of low-income students and receive extra Title I federal funds.

At Ruby Thomas Elementary School in the district's east region, Principal Demerise Hunter said her campus's watch list status was not a surprise.

"We've been on the bubble in the past," Hunter said. "I was sure the new testing requirements would topple us off."

Thomas is one of 26 Title I schools on the watch list in the district. Title I schools designated as needing improvement for two consecutive years must offer students transfers to more successful campuses.

The district is already offering school choice to students enrolled at nine Title I schools identified earlier by the state as needing improvement because they have not shown progress in test scores for at least two consecutive years.

With more than half her school enrolled in English Language Learner classes -- compared with the district average of 16 percent -- the new federal requirement that all students be tested has proved frustrating, Hunter said.

"We have children show up to enroll who have only been in this country a few days, who may not understand more than a few words of English, and yet we have to put an exam in front of them," Hunter said. "It's hard for us to watch a child struggle with something that's too difficult for them at the time."

Hunter said she expects student scores to climb next year thanks to a $450,000 federal literacy grant. The money is being spent on increasing classroom libraries, adding literacy specialists to work with teachers and on a computer software program that allows students to work at their own pace.