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Accountability is the watchword of the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act, the Warsaw School Board learned Monday.
According to assistant superintendent Sandra Hess, the new law, which went into effect Jan. 8, changes the federal government's role in education by making the government more involved. The law, she said, asks schools to "describe their success in terms of what each student accomplishes."
Each state is required to create its own standards, and students will be tested on how well they measure up to those standards. By 2005-06, schools will be required to test students in grades three through eight annually in math and reading, and once again in grades 10 through 12. These tests will be in addition to ISTEP tests and any other testing Indiana schools may do.
Each school district must demonstrate "Adequate Yearly Progress" toward meeting state standards, Hess said. While details and exact regulations are still not clear, she said, test results will be sorted by subgroups, such as economically disadvantaged students and those with limited English proficiency, and school districts will be held accountable for the academic performance of the subgroups.
"Eventually, the (government's) goal is to have 100 proficiency for all students in grades one through 12," she said.
School districts are still researching the law and its interpretations and testing requirements, she said.
The school board also heard a report from Warsaw Community High School teachers on the success of Freshman Academy, in which an extra effort is made to include ninth-graders in academics and school activities, and to make them feel less overwhelmed by the high school.
Now in its third year, Freshman Academy this year included student mentors from the junior and senior classes who were assigned teams of students.
Dr. Jennifer Brumfield, WCHS principal, said approximately 85 to 90 percent of incoming freshmen attended orientation with their parents, the highest number ever.
She also said the truancy and dropout rates are down compared to years before Freshman Academy (for example, three years ago the dropout rate was 6 percent, two years ago it was 4 percent and last year it was 1 percent), while freshman attendance has increased from 93 percent to 95 percent.
The school board also:
• Heard total student enrollment as of Monday was 6,485 students, up 138 students from the same time last year.
• Heard a report from Washington principal Tom Ray about summer school. Ray said 1,653 students were in summer school this year, with 89 percent of those who signed up actually attending classes. Summer school this year included a program for students for whom English is a second language. Ray said there were 139 students in the ESL classes at the lowest three levels of English proficiency.
School board members are Craig Allebach, Brad Brail, Larry Chamberlain, Cathy Folk, James Folk, Mark Minatel and Roy Szymanski. Superintendent is Dr. David McGuire.
