Some local schools did better on state assessments this year, some worse, according to a state report released today.
Public Law 221 is Indiana's way to look at how schools are doing on ISTEP+ results. It's similar to the federal government's Adequate Yearly Progress, which was released last month, but it bases its results on academic improvements from year to year, while AYP examines one year at a time, as well as attendance and graduation rates.
PL 221 ranks schools as “exemplary,” “commendable,” “academic progress,” “academic watch” and “academic probation.” AYP gives a strict “yes” or “no” as its assessment.
Even though PL 221 and AYP use the same basic information, some schools showed better results this year through PL 221, while others dropped.
Washington Elementary did not make AYP this year but received the highest rating on PL 221, while Haverhill Elementary passed AYP but dropped to “academic watch,” the second-lowest PL 221 category.
Local school districts say that between PL 221 and AYP, neither is the better system, but both are helpful.
“I think they're both valuable. … I would just say (they're) different,” said East Allen County Schools Deputy Superintendent Jan MacLean. “We certainly do value getting the information and take it very seriously.”
Schools use the information from PL 221 and AYP to develop strategies to better teach their students.
“Ultimately, bottom line, we're going to do what is best for kids,” said Jeanine Kleber, Haverhill principal.
FWCS
All but six of Fort Wayne Community's 49 schools rated as either “academic watch” or “probation,” according to PL 221 results. Two high schools, North Side and South Side, now face additional penalties, including bringing in a team to develop a school improvement plan, after being on probation for four years.
“Obviously, we have a lot (of schools) that are on watch or probation, and that's not something we like to see,” said spokeswoman Krista Stockman. “A lot of them, we hope it's a one-year thing.”
Stockman said the district was not surprised by the results after seeing low ISTEP+ scores this year. Many grades lost a percentage or two in the number of students passing the test.
Washington Elementary, where 56 percent of students passed ISTEP+, was the exception on PL 221 as it was labeled “exemplary,” the highest category in the state assessment. Even though the school did not make AYP, Washington improved more than 5 percent over previous years, enough to earn it the highest state rating.
“We are happy with the schools that got ‘exemplary' and ‘commendable,'” Stockman said.
EACS
EACS' results were as diverse as its district, with some schools, such as Leo and Cedarville elementaries, earning “exemplary” while others fell into their fourth year of probation, including Village Elementary, Prince Chapman Academy and Harding High School.
“We obviously have room for improvement,” MacLean said. “We are obviously aware of that and are working toward that.”
Those three schools will face additional sanctions this year, and Meadowbrook Elementary will face penalties for the first time as it fell from “academic watch” to “probation” this year.
As is the case at Meadowbrook, the school received a large number of Burmese students who do not speak English well - or at all. MacLean hopes that in future years, as their language skills improve, the test results will also improve.
The National Urban Alliance is working with Village and Southwick elementary schools, Prince Chapman and Harding, all of which are on probation, “to support teachers as they modify instructional strategies to ensure practices that are culturally responsive and scientifically based,” MacLean wrote in a statement.
“We know that we have plenty of things to do,” she said.
SACS
Southwest Allen County's schools reached the two highest levels of PL 221 status this year - except for one.
While nearly 80 percent of Haverhill Elementary students passed ISTEP+, it fell down into “academic watch” this year after carrying an “exemplary” tag for three years prior. Its principal said the school missed by only a small margin.
“We did some digging and we found out what the formula really meant and two students would have put us over the mark,” Jeanine Kleber said.
The school didn't complain, though. Kleber called the state Department of Education and brought in consultants to make sure it won't happen again.
“We're evaluating our current instructional patterns,” she said, particularly in the areas of math and literacy. She said the school will use Web-based initiatives, which will give the students an opportunity to work at home.
“Now we're going to roll up our sleeves and do what is best for our kids,” Kleber said.
NACS
All but two of Northwest Allen County's schools were “exemplary” this year, according to PL 221. The other two were “commendable.”
“We're excited,” said Gloria Shamanoff, assistant superintendent.
Arcola Elementary showed the most improvement over past years (5.8 percent), and raised its rating from “academic watch” to “exemplary.”
“We're just going to keep on doing what is correct for our children,” Shamanoff said.
