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Warsaw Schools is in its third year of not attaining Adequate Yearly Progress in English and language arts for special education, Director of Elementary Curriculum Deb Blatz told the school board Monday.
AYP is a part of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act and is calculated by the percent of students passing ISTEP in language arts and math. Different subgroups are measured, including the general population of students, free or reduced lunch students, English as a Second Language students, Hispanic students and special education students. By 2014, all students in all subcategories are to be at the same level of achievement.
On May 22, Blatz said they found out Warsaw was not meeting AYP for special education and the ESL students are in the caution area for English and language arts. Warsaw Schools was invited to a meeting in Indianapolis with eight other school corporations. The Indiana Department of Education provided several options for the school corporations for corrective action. Blatz said Warsaw chose instituting and implementing a new curriculum. One curriculum vendor was at that meeting, invited by the state, that Warsaw purchased curriculum from to improve the ISTEP scores.
Blatz said Warsaw has been working on its plan and Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth sent all staff a letter outlining the corporation's AYP failures. Another letter from Haworth will be sent out to parents.
With ISTEPs the week of Sept. 18, Warsaw has an immediate goal to reach.
"We want to reduce the failure rate 10 percent," said Blatz. If Warsaw can decrease the failure rate of students with disabilities and ESL students by at least 10 percent, Warsaw will reach their first goal of "Safe Harbor" and would not face corrective action. To reach that goal, Blatz said they will target two to six students in each school building for improvement that Warsaw feels can pass ISTEP.
Blatz then presented the school board with a Power Point Presentation on No Child Left Behind and AYP.
In 2002, WCS missed making AYP for Hispanic-speaking students in English and language arts. In 2003, special education students missed AYP in both English and math. The special education subgroup missed passing English in 2004 and then again in 2005.
The presentation indicated the subgroups consistently perform better in math than in English and language arts. While all subgroup populations of WCS students have shown variability in terms of improvement in English/language arts, disabled students have shown a progressive decline over the past three years.
WCS has implemented several practices over the past few years to help students, including extended learning opportunities, revised writing guidelines and participation in a writing consortium.
For longer term goals, the presentation indicated WCS will standardize instructional practices for reading and language arts from elementary through secondary levels, with an emphasis on early intervention. WCS will develop a continuum of summer opportunities for students with disabilities who are not passing ISTEP and other low-achieving groups. The school corporation will provide for high-quality professional development that focuses on improved instruction, and identify a parent/family liaison at each school.
Board Vice President Dan Robinson said if the number of special education students passing ISTEP improves 10 percent, Warsaw meets Safe Harbor, but asked what that meant. Blatz responded Warsaw would not have to go through another year of corrective action. Robinson asked if Warsaw makes Safe Harbor this year, but then fails again next year, then what. Blatz said Warsaw then will be back on the bubble. Haworth said the penalty for where Warsaw is now was not developed until May this year. Warsaw was not told of further actions because, "I believe the rules are made up as we go."
When subgroups are compared year to year, Robinson asked if they are the same group. Blatz said they were different groups, as the 2006 third-graders will be compared to the 2005 third-graders.
Robinson said Warsaw's general population is making it. The special education students not making it seemed like an oxymoron because if they didn't have special needs, they wouldn't need the help.
Assistant Superintendent Sandra Hess said she found out all ESL students must participate in ISTEP "even if they came into the country today."
One good thing that has came out of No Child Left Behind, despite some of it being ridiculous, she said, is that it makes educators as a group "truly look at all these groups."
While the goal of not leaving any child behind is a worthy one, Robinson said human beings being what they are, it's not achievable. The legislators need special training themselves, he said.
Haworth said it's estimated that all schools, by 2014, will fail AYP mathematically.
