By Larry Coonrod, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 12:00 am
Preliminary results from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) for the 2007-08 school years show that the Lebanon Community School District failed to achieve testing criteria set by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Lebanon High School and Seven Oak Middle School received a "Not Met" rating from ODE. Under NCLB rules, if one school in the district fails, the district as a whole fails.
Annual yearly progress (AYP) is based on two years of testing in mathematics and English language arts of students in grades 3-8 and 10. Results are measured as the student population as a whole and as the following population groups:
€ Economically disadvantaged.
€ Students with disabilities.
€ English language learners.
€ Racial and ethnic groups.
Sixty percent of students must achieve a passing score in reading and 59 percent in math for the school to meet standards. If one sub-group fails, the school does not meet standards for that subject area.
The percentage of students meeting standards for a school to achieve a passing mark rose 10 points last year, leading to an overall decrease in the number of Oregon schools not meeting NCLB standards - 758 schools out of 1237 met AYP, according to ODE, a drop of about 13 percent. By 2014, 100 percent of students will be required to pass the NCLB assessment tests.
At Seven Oak, 59.27 percent of students with disabilities passed the reading portion of the evaluation, compared to 66.9 percent last year.
Only 41.62 percent of students with disabilities at Lebanon High School met the AYP reading standards.
Laurie Glazener, LCSD administrator of special programs, said the district's special education students have been receiving more intensive instruction both in the classroom and from special education specialists.
In mathematics, LHS students across the population groups failed to meet standards not only in academic status and academic growth but in testing participation as well. Ninety-three percent of 10th-graders took the AYP test, two points shy of the 95 percent required by ODE.
Participation is difficult to ensure unless students are enrolled in a math class at the high school because all 10th graders are expected to take the test, even those that are in alternative education programs or who have been expelled, Glazener said.
"The staff at the high school is looking at assigning a person to help ensure that all 10th-graders take some type of test," she said.
Participation rates are also affected by some parents refusing to let their children participate in the state assessment system.
"A few parents have refused to allow their children to participate in the state assessment system," Glazener said. "This decision carries a potential negative consequences for schools and districts, but does not penalize a student."
Overall, 50.56 percent of students met mathematics standards, well short of the 59 percent required by NCLB. Whites not of Hispanic origin fared best, with 51.55 percent passing. Only 46.55 percent of economically disadvantaged students and 41.84 percent of students with disabilities passed.
To address the failing math results, the district has hired additional instructional coaches to help teachers deliver cognitively guided instructional strategies.
"That means that students are actively engaged in solving very sophisticated problems, discussing problem solving strategies they are using, asking each other questions and developing a deep understanding of the concepts being taught," Glazener said.
LHS has not met AYP standards since ODE began issuing the annual reports for the 2002-03 school year. Seven Oak received its first AYP passing mark in 2006-07.
Because neither Seven Oak or LHS receive federal Title 1 funds, the district does not face any type of sanctions but "does have a moral obligation to help those students who are not meeting the standard", said Glazener when reporting the AYP results to the Lebanon School Board on Aug. 4. Title 1 funding primarily goes to elementary schools with a high percentage of low income students.
The consequence for not meeting AYP standards for schools that receive Title 1 funding include having to notify parents and provide transportation if they wish to enroll their children in another school district. If a school continues not meeting standards for four years it must prepare a restructuring plan to either replace all or most of the school staff, contract with an outside entity to operate the school or re-open the school as a public charter school.
In 2007-08, 36 Oregon Title 1 schools failed to meet the AYP standards.