No Child Left Behind raising the bar

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

With the state of Montana raising the bar on test scores, the Bozeman elementary school district and several other local districts failed to make enough annual progress to meet the federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Also falling short of the “adequate yearly progress” or AYP requirement among local districts were Belgrade’s elementary and high schools; Three Forks elementary; West Yellowstone schools; Livingston, Shields Valley and Sheridan elementary districts; and Ennis schools, according to reports released Friday by the state Office of Public Instruction.

These results are part of a larger statewide pattern in 2008. The number of Montana school districts making adequate progress fell from 90 percent to 72 percent this year, because the state raised the target scores that schools have to shoot for.

Linda McCulloch, state superintendent of public instruction, warned last week that it would appear Montana schools were doing worse this year, even though students were making progress.

Bozeman School Superintendent Kirk Miller said Friday he was pleased that Bozeman High School succeeded in meeting the state’s goals for reading and math tests n 90 percent of its students scored at grade level or better in the state reading test, and 70 percent scored well in math.

Bozeman High’s graduation rate was also up a point to 87 percent.

In the Bozeman elementary district, students overall scored higher than the state’s goals. In reading, 91 percent of all students scored at grade level or higher in 2008. In math, 73 percent scored well.

However when students are broken down into subcategories, as required by No Child Left Behind, Bozeman elementary test scores fell short among low-income students and those with disabilities.

Bozeman educators are already working hard and investing time, money and classroom space to help kids who are struggling, Miller said.

Six aides are being hired this year to serve as math-intervention paraprofessionals. Three veteran teachers are being trained as instructional coaches to help teachers use the best teaching research. And Bozeman this fall is expanding all its kindergartens to full-time classes.

“We have continued work we need to do,” Miller said. “We’re looking at every child and wanting their growth to continue.”

Hawthorne School was again a standout in Bozeman in 2008, with 100 percent of students testing at grade level or higher in reading. Also beating the state’s targets were Irving and Morning Star elementaries and Sacajawea Middle School.

To be labeled as making adequate progress in 2008, Montana schools and school districts had to have 83 percent of their students scoring at grade level or higher in reading. That was up from last year’s target of 74 percent.

In math, schools had to have 68 percent of students scoring at grade level or better in 2008, up from last year’s 51 percent.

The state raised the goals because the federal No Child law requires all U.S. schools to have 100 percent of students proficient by 2014. To push schools toward that goal, Montana’s OPI raises the bar every few years.

Of the Bozeman schools labeled as failing to meet AYP, Chief Joseph Middle School beat the state goal in reading, but not in math; Emily Dickinson students scored well overall, but more lower-income students had trouble in reading and math; Longfellow kids did well overall, but low-income kids fell short in math; and Whittier students, with Bozeman’s highest percentage of low-income kids, overall scored below the state targets in both reading and math.

Among the Bozeman elementary district’s economically disadvantaged kids, 82 percent did well in reading, but that was a point short of the state goal. Only 53 percent of Bozeman’s low-income kids did well in math.

Among Bozeman students with disabilities, 67 percent did well in reading and 46 percent in math, short of the state goals.

If scores fall below the state’s target in any sub-category, the entire school and school district are labeled as failing to make adequate progress.

All the school districts that didn’t make adequate progress in 2008 were placed on a first-year “watch list” by OPI. Under the No Child law, schools that fail for several years can face sanctions n just one of many controversial aspects of the law.

Miller said he sees both positive and negative sides of No Child Left Behind. It has prompted a national dialogue about the best ways to help struggling students, and that’s very positive, he said.

On the other hand, it tends to put kids in “boxes,” and fails to recognize that students may have made tremendous progress, even if they fall short of a goal.

“When you work in the world of the human element, I don’t think 100 percent is a feasible goal,” Miller said. “The true goal is to take a child as they come to the school district and help the child grow and become successful.”

Succeeding in making adequate progress in 2008 (in Gallatin, Park and Madison counties) were the Bozeman, Three Forks, Park, Shields Valley and Sheridan high school districts; Manhattan, Willow Creek and Gardiner, Twin Bridges public schools; and the Anderson, Springhill, Pass Creek, Monforton, LaMotte, Malmborg, Ophir, Amsterdam, Gallatin Gateway, Cottonwood, Cooke City, Pine Creek, Springdale, Arrowhead, Alder and Harrison elementary districts.

Scores for each school district and school can be seen on OPI’s Web site at the No Child Left Behind Report Card page (www.opi.state.mt.us).

Gail Schontzler can be reached at gails@dailychronicle.com or 582-2633

District or school Made AYP? Students testing at grade level or better in

Reading Math

(goal 83%) (goal 68%)

Bozeman High yes 90 70

Graduation rate 87%

Bozeman elementary dist. no 91 73

low-income no 82 53

disabilities no 67 46

Chief Joseph Middle no 90 66

Sacajawea Middle yes 97 77

Emily Dickinson no 85 70

Hawthorne yes 100 92

Irving yes 92 83

Longfellow no 94 81

Morning Star yes 97 90

Whittier no 79 60

Belgrade elementary dist. no 85 65

Belgrade Intermediate no 86 71

Belgrade Middle no 85 63

Heck/Quaw Elementary no 86 54

Ridge View Elementary yes 96 68

Belgrade High no 81 65

Graduation rate 88%

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