More county schools fail to show progress

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, July 28, 2005 | 11:10 a.m.

(* denotes Title I school)

WATCH LIST

Elementary:

Middle schools:

High schools:

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT LIST (year on the list designated in parentheses)

Elementary Schools:

Middle Schools:

High Schools:

Charter Schools, Alternative Schools and Special Programs

Watch list:

Needs Improvement

Source: Clark County School District

The preliminary results, released by the district this morning, must be approved tonight by the School Board before being sent to the Nevada Education Department.

"I think it's distressing news but I also see it as a call to arms," said Walt Rulffes, interim co-superintendent for the district. "When the state raised its (test score) targets we didn't respond quickly enough with more rigor in our curriculum, and we need to address that."

Rulffes said he is particularly concerned that 18 of the district's 38 comprehensive high schools are on the "needs improvement" or watch lists.

"We can't get away with saying, 'We have programs in place you'll see the effects in a couple of years,' " Rulffes said. "We have to make sure there isn't a lost generation of kids who don't have the benefits of graduating from high school."

Under federal law, all public school students must test at "proficient" or better in reading, writing and mathematics by the 2013-14 academic year. In addition to showing gains overall, schools must also meet achievement and 95 percent participation rates by student subgroups broken down by ethnicity, special education, low-income and limited English proficiency.

Schools that do not meet the minimum test score requirements may still make adequate yearly progress, or AYP, by reducing the number of non-proficient students by at least 10 percent over the prior year's results.

The first time a school fails to meet minimum requirements in any one area the school lands on the state's "watch list." If a school does not make AYP for two consecutive years the campus is identified as "needs improvement."

Of the district's campuses, charter schools and special programs, 115 made AYP this year, compared with 169 in 2004. At the same time the number of schools on the "watch" list jumped to 98 from 69.

There number of schools on the "needs improvement" list for at least one year was 107, up from 82. Of those schools, 13 were on the list for a third consecutive year. There were no third-year campuses in 2003-04.

"I don't think anyone is going to be surprised by the results," said School Board member Susan Brager-Wellman. "There are no easy answers here and we need to remind people that this is just one way of measuring performance. It doesn't mean our teachers and our kids aren't doing terrific things on a daily basis."

After three consecutive years on the list the state sends an assessment team to help staff develop a remedial plan. And after four years on the list the state may demand that staff at the school be replaced, including the principal.

Title I schools, which have a high percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced price meals and receive extra federal funds, must offer transfers to more successful campuses if they are designated "needs improvement." For the 2003-04 academic year, letters offering school choice went out to 25,000 families students at 30 Title I schools in Clark County. There were 726 transfers requested.

This year's school choice letters will be mailed early next week, giving parents time to consider their options prior to the start of the new academic year Aug. 29.

The federal law gave states some leeway in determining timelines for meeting the 100 percent goal. Some states, such as Nevada, opted for regular annual increases in minimum test score benchmarks. Under the No Child Left Behind Act the benchmarks must be increased at least once every three years.

AYP results should be viewed as a "signaling device" rather than the sole indicator of the quality of instruction, said Daria Hall, policy analyst for the nonprofit Education Trust think tank in Washington, D.C.

"AYP in and of itself isn't improving schools," Hall said. "It's pointing out which students are meeting the standards set by the state and what changes need to happen. Then it's up to the parents and the educators to follow through."

In reading AYP results Hall urged people to examine "watch list" and "needs improvement" lists.

"AYP is a label that needs to be peeled back to reveal the meaningful information underneath," Hall said. "Why didn't a school make AYP? Did they miss the target by one subgroup in one subject area or did they fall short across the board?"

The "one strike" rule has been a source of aggravation to some educators who argue that it is unfair to penalize an entire school because of shortfalls in a single area.

Half of the district's 38 comprehensive high schools were either on the "watch" or "needs improvement" lists. Green Valley High School, which has won numerous awards for music and science programs and typically leads the district in Millennium Scholars, was deemed "needs improvement."

Of the district's seven campuses being managed under contract with Edison Schools Inc., five -- Crestwood, Lincoln, Lynch, Park and Ronnow -- were identified "needs improvement." Crestwood-Edison Elementary School was placed on the watch list.

There were some bright spots to the report: the district had 19 "high achieving" schools, a U.S. Education Department designation reserved for campuses that show either outstanding achievement or improvement on standardized tests. That list included Cahlan-Edison Elementary School.

Agassi College Preparatory Academy's middle school was the only Clark County campus to be named "exemplary," the highest rating awarded by the federal education department. In order to earn the designation a school must have at least 40 percent of its students score in the top 25 percent nationally on standardized tests.

At Agassi College Prep, which serves the predominantly black neighborhoods of west Las Vegas, students attend longer class periods, wear uniforms and have access to computers, tutoring and remedial services.

"This is a validation of our school model but it's also just the beginning of our work," said Perry Rogers, chairman of Agassi College Prep's board of directors. "We've got to make sure we're providing a great education for all our students, and that means getting our lower grades onto the exemplary list, too."

While Agassi Prep receives the same per-pupil funding allotment as the rest of the district's campuses, the coffers are sweetened with private donations and grants. Agassi Prep spends about $8,400 per pupil, compared with the district's average of $5,989.