It’s hard to think about report cards with school not even starting until Wednesday, Sept. 3, but state schools chief Randy Dorn just received the federal report card for all the districts in the state and all but 7 percent are failing.
Only 22 districts statewide met the tough Annual Yearly Progress standard, while 273 districts failed.
Marysville, Arlington and Lakewood school districts did not pass AYP, which is part of the 2001 No Child Left Behind federal act.
Statewide, test scores seemed to be mostly up, and locally results were mixed, but under NCLB doing better doesn’t matter – every child is supposed to pass.
“100 percent perfection rate. Who doesn’t want that in their hearts for every child?” Marysville Superintendent Becky Berg said. “The intent is good. The devil is in the detail. If one student doesn’t meet standard, we don’t make AYP. I can’t imagine.”
Statewide, 90.6 percent of students met standard on the tests. However, that is not the only category for AYP. There are 44 other categories, such as attendance, participation in the tests and various sub-groups. If any one of those is not met, the district doesn’t meet the AYP standard.
If schools do not meet AYP for two years, they are placed in “Choice” School Improvement Status, meaning they must develop an improvement plan, provide students the option to transfer to another school and provide transportation to get there. And they must use part of their federal funds for professional development for staff.
If a school does not make AYP for three years, it will be in “Supplemental Services” School Improvement Status, which means that they must also use some of their federal funds to support students by providing tutoring or after-school programs.
If a school fails AYP for four years they enter “Corrective Action” Improvement Status, where they must choose one of the following: Replace responsible staff, implement a new curriculum, decrease a school’s management authority; appoint an external expert to advise school; or restructure the internal organization.
Lastly, if a school fails AYP for 5 years or more, they must implement one of the following: Closing and reopening as a public charter school; Replacing school staff, including the principal, relevant to the failure in the school; contracting with an outside entity to operate the school; or turning school operations over to the state education agency.
Other major governance restructuring is also possible, including: narrow the grade range, reopen as a theme school, close the school, create smaller learning communities, or create their own option not provided by the Department of Education.
School, Last year, This year
Tulalip Heritage School 1 0
10th Street School 0 0
Bio Medicine Academy 0 0
On-line Move Up Program 0 0
Marysville Coop Program 0 0
School of Communications 0 0
School for Entrepreneur 0 0
Const and Engineering 0 1
Marysville SD Special 0 1
MP Pathways of Choice 0 1
Allen Creek Elementary 1 2
Sunnyside Elementary 1 2
Grove Elementary 1 2
Pinewood Elementary 1 2
Tulalip Elementary 1 2
Arts and Technology 2 3
Cascade Elementary 3 4
Liberty Elementary 3 4
Shoultes Elementary 3 4
Marshall Elementary 3 4
Mountain View High 4 5
Kellogg Marsh School 4 5
Quil Ceda Elementary 4 5
Totem Middle School 4 5
Cedarcrest School 5 5
School Home Partnership 5 5
Marysville Middle 5 5
Weston High School 0 0
Kent Prairie Elementary 0 0
Eagle Creek Elementary 1 2
Pioneer Elementary 1 2
Presidents Elementary 2 3
Haller Middle School 2 3
Stillaguamish School 3 4
Post Middle School 4 5
Arlington High School 4 5
English Crossing 0 1
Cougar Creek School 1 2
Lakewood High School 3 4
Lakewood Middle School 4 5
