Improved scores may save Edison contract

Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 11:26 a.m.

Edison Schools Inc. may have earned a reprieve in Clark County with respectable scores on its biggest test yet, as students at the six elementary schools managed by the private company outperformed students with similar backgrounds in the math portion of the latest round of standardized tests.

The private school management company, hired by the Clark County School District in 2001 to take over the six elementary schools and one middle school, is bracing for its annual performance evaluation that will determine whether it continues to operate in Southern Nevada.

The strong showing on the math portion of the standardized test was welcome news to a company that has struggled financially, been hit with criticism for the way it operates and had its contracts dumped by school districts in other states.

The company is in its third year of a five-year contract in Clark County and the results from the October sitting of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills may bolster the company's standing.

The 2003 results for the six Edison elementary schools were compared with scores for 24 other elementary schools of similar socio-economic makeup. The scores for Charles I. West Edison Junior Academy were compared with three other district middle schools, also with similar student populations.

At the elementary level scores for the six Edison schools were nearly identical to the district's comparison group in reading, language and science.

In math, however, Edison elementary students improved more and scored better than their peers. Those scores climbed at least 6 percentile points for each grade. Edison fourth graders made the largest strides, moving from the 30th percentile to the 42nd percentile in a single year.

"The overall results aren't anything to jump up and down about, but they aren't anything to throw (Edison) out over, either," Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of curriculum for the district, said. "I would say the math scores show a very encouraging trend."

An advisory committee of educators, parents and administrators recommended last June that the Clark County School Board put off discussions of whether to terminate or extend Edison's contract until after the results of the 2003 Iowa test were evaluated.

As part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the state teachers union and the county's education support employees' union that sought to overturn the School Board's decision to hire Edison, the district agreed to form committees to evaluate Edison's performance and make a recommendation as to whether the company should be allowed to expand.

Ken Lange, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, said he was encouraged by the improvement in elementary school math scores for the Edison campuses.

"There's a reason to be excited whenever a kid shows improvement," said Lange, who serves on the advisory committee. "Obviously the folks in those schools and the students are working very hard, and there's been a conscious focus on mathematics as a challenge area."

Lange said he's still troubled by the high teacher turnover rate at Edison campuses, which is as much as 50 percent at some schools. As for the company's overall performance, it may take at least another year of Iowa test scores to make a judgment, Lange said.

"We need to give (Edison) a little more time," Lange said.

John Chubb, chief education officer for Edison Schools Inc., said elementary level math scores reflect the company's emphasis on problem solving, as well as intensive professional development and consistency in the curriculum.

"Teaching at a more ambitious level has enabled the kids to move ahead more quickly," Chubb said. "All over the country, Nevada included, educators are leaning toward more emphasis on problem solving and higher-level mathematics."

At Edison schools students take part in monthly computerized benchmark tests that allow teachers to assess a student's comprehension and progress.

"I can look at the benchmarks and learn immediately where a child needs extra help," Doris Lane, a teacher at Charles I. West Edison Junior Academy, said. "I don't have to wait for the district test results, which usually come too late to do anything, anyway."

The Clark County School District is in the process of implementing its own benchmark system, which is expected to be up and running for the next school year.

"I wish they were investing in our system," said Chubb, referring to Edison's benchmark program that is licensed to school districts but was not purchased by Clark County. "But whatever system they went with, the Clark County School District is making a smart decision. This is what good teaching is all about -- analyzing data and adjusting instruction accordingly."

Chubb said he knows there are areas where Edison still needs to improve, particularly in science and reading at the middle school. But overall Chubb said he was comfortable with the company's performance in Clark County.

Chubb met with members of the district's assessments team last week to go over the test scores and will meet again with the advisory committee next month. Following that meeting the committee will make a recommendation to the School Board on whether to extend Edison's current contract, allow it to run its course or terminate the deal with two years remaining.

Clark County School Board member Shirley Barber said she was looking forward to hearing the committee reports about Edison's performance. So far Barber said she has not been convinced that Edison has done all it promised.

"If they're really making a difference those test scores should be higher than the other schools," Barber said. "Otherwise I think it's time for things to go back to the way they were."

Barber said she hears complaints from new teachers that they don't get enough professional development time to fully grasp the many demands of the Edison model. Parents were made to jump through too many hoops in order for students to take home promised laptop computers at West, Barber said.

Principal Janice Rosenthal of Crestwood said she was pleased Thursday to learn her campus had the highest Iowa scores of all of the Edison campuses. Rosenthal, in her second year as principal of the school, attributed the strong showing to a committed faculty, strong parent involvement and eager student body.

Rosenthal lost just eight of her 50 teachers last year, a turnover of 16 percent.

"We are comfortable with the curriculum and the design, so we don't have to start fresh every year with a new learning curve," Rosenthal said.

Coping with a higher-than-average teacher turnover rate has been one of Edison's toughest challenges in Clark County, Chubb said. Clark County is also the only school district where Edison must contend with year-round calendars, Chubb said.

Critics of Edison schools decry the regimented curriculum, which they say stifles creativity. But supporters point to the longer school day and strict structure as essential when tackling the challenges of an at-risk school.

While Edison has floundered financially in the past the company's president and founder, Chris Whittle, recently bought back the public stock and returned the company to private status.