Middlesboro High School, which is funded through the Title 1 program, has been subjected to certain consequences for not meeting yearly academic goals in accordance with the federal mandates of the NCLB requirements.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools and districts be held accountable for the performance of students on state reading and math tests. Schools are also responsible for test participation rate, graduation rates (in high schools), and several other academic indicators. Schools that do not meet yearly goals in these scholastic areas are considered to be “in need of improvement,” and may face consequences, specifically if they are funded through the federal Title 1 program.
The Title 1 program is based upon improving the academic achievement of the disadvantaged in the nation’s highest poverty schools by ensuring that all children have a fair opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. Schools are required to meet specific academic standards, or face the unavoidable effects.
MHS Principal Sheila Smith spoke about the current academic situation. She explained that due to the small amount of special needs kids within each grade level and the high dropout rate amongst these children, the yearly academic report can be easily affected and goals can be quite difficult to reach.
“The numbers in there are low, so one kid can really impact you when you get down to those low numbers. One child could be five to eight percent,” Smith explained. “We knew at the end of the year, last year, that we were not going to meet our goals as far as the graduation rate for our special needs students because too many of them dropped out as freshmen, which was like 2004 and 2005. Those are kids I don’t even know, or ever met ... I feel like I am fighting a ghost here.”
According to Lisa Gross, Division of Communications Director for the Kentucky Department of Education, the graduation rate goal is for all students, and is not dependent on a particular group of students, such as those with special needs. However, the goals in reading and mathematics are dependent on particular groups of students. Therefore, if students with special needs did not reach their yearly goal in math, then the school would not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and would be considered to be in “need of improvement.”
Schools that continuously miss goals can be subject to a variety of consequences, and Middlesboro High is one of those schools. MHS missed AYP in 2006 and 2007 due to the poor performance of low-income students in mathematics, and for the entire school population missing the mandatory graduation rate. The school was in Tier 1 of NCLB consequences after the 2007 school year and was required to offer transfers.
Additionally, MHS missed AYP in 2008 due to the performance of students with disabilities in both reading and mathematics. The school was then placed in Tier 2 of NCLB consequences, and was required to offer transfers and supplemental services.
As for the 2009 school year, Middlesboro missed AYP due to the whole population of students missing the graduation rate goal. It is now in Tier 3 of NCLB consequences for the 2009-2010 school year, which means that the school must offer transfers, notify parents of its current academic situation, offer supplemental educational services to students and revise its comprehensive improvement plan.
Although test score data that will apply for the 2009 NCLB judgments have not yet been released, the graduation rate that will apply — that from 2008 — has been. Middlesboro High’s graduation rate was 76.71 percent, and the goal for 2008 was 84.5 percent. More academic information will be released in late September.
“You know our test scores have come up the last two years,” stated MHS Principal Sheila Smith. “And right now we are working on dropout rate. We’re working on attendance. We’re working on the graduation rate. But I have only been here two years and it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Middlesboro High School has been working hard to improve math scores and graduation rate, while concentrating primarily on attendance. The high school has started using a new Carnegie Math program for students and offering credit recovery through online classes.
In addition, the district recently implemented a Reading Revisited program, and a Measures of Academic Progress (MAPS) assessment program to focus on progress and performance. The MAPS assessment tool will be used to monitor individual student growth throughout the year and develop student learning plans. After school tutoring will also be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the 2009-2010 school year, and students will also have the opportunity to receive Supplemental Education Services in reading and/or math, if recognized as in need.
“We have high expectations for all our students and will continue to research and implement programs that have a proven track record for success,” stated Middlesboro Independent Schools new Superintendent Rita Cook. “We continue to have an excellent school program in Middlesboro, but we believe that excellence keeps moving. In other words, we are constantly pushing our students toward higher levels of learning.”
As for the other high schools in Bell County, Pineville High School is funded by the Title 1 program and made AYP from 2004 to 2007. Pineville did, however, miss AYP in 2008 due to graduation rate, but no action was needed. Bell County High School is not funded by Title 1 and is not held to the consequences outlined under NCLB.
Adam Young is a staff writer for The Daily News. He can be contacted by e-mail at ayoung@middlesborodailynews.com
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