City school district 1 of 13 'in need of assistance'
Gausman: State 'report card' helps identify areas that need improvement
By Earl Horlyk, Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, September 19, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Community School District is among 13 Iowa school districts identified as being in need of assistance, according to a state "report card" released Thursday by the Iowa Department of Education.
The designation means Sioux City's public schools do not meet proficiency targets in math and reading as prescribed by the No Child Left Behind Act, the 2001 federal law aimed at improving student performance through standards-based reform.
"Sioux City was identified as being in need of assistance," John Beeck, the district's assessment coordinator, said Thursday. "But so were Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport and most of the state's urban school districts. They're finding themselves similarly challenged."
Also on the list are the Clinton, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Waterloo and West Liberty districts.
A district or individual school must miss a target for two consecutive years to be identified as being in need of assistance.
The 13 districts so designated in "The State Report Card for No Child Left Behind" represent 3.6 percent of Iowa's 364 school districts. Of the state's 1,477 schools last year, 136, or 9.2 percent, were identified as being in need of assistance. That's an increase of 1 percent over the previous year.
At the same time, the state has set the achievement bar higher, increasing the proficiency targets by an average of about 6 percent, the report says. Goals are adjusted every three years in an effort to ensure that all schools reach 100 percent student proficiency in reading and math by the 2013-14 school year as required by No Child Left Behind.
School Superintendent Paul Gausman, who came to the district July 1, said the report has helped the district identify areas that still need work.
He said each school in the district will take data from the report and make a plan that is specific to the school. To meet the proficiency level prescribed by No Child Left Behind, the schools are emphasizing professional development for teachers.
All public school students in grades 3-8 and 11 are tested to determine their reading and math proficiency. For elementary and middle school students, proficiency is measured using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. High school students' proficiency is measured by the Iowa Test of Educational Development, and the Iowa Alternate Assessment measures proficiency for students with the most significant cognitive challenges.
The targets must be met by all students in the tested grades in addition to targets for students in subgroups that include African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, whites, low-income students, English-language learners and those in special education.
When a school misses any target for two consecutive years -- in even one subgroup or tested grade -- it is placed on the schools in need of assistance list. Any school or district so designated must show that it has met achievement targets for two consecutive years before it can be taken off the list.
"We've managed to make improvements in many of the subgroups," Beeck noted. "In some case, the improvements have been significant."
Gausman credited teachers for that and said educators must "own" the challenges a large and diverse school district poses.
"We must look at the report as a prescription to what the district needs to do better," he said. "But the only way to fix the achievement is by looking at (the needs of) the individual student because that's where it all begins."
The designation means Sioux City's public schools do not meet proficiency targets in math and reading as prescribed by the No Child Left Behind Act, the 2001 federal law aimed at improving student performance through standards-based reform.
"Sioux City was identified as being in need of assistance," John Beeck, the district's assessment coordinator, said Thursday. "But so were Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport and most of the state's urban school districts. They're finding themselves similarly challenged."
Also on the list are the Clinton, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Waterloo and West Liberty districts.
A district or individual school must miss a target for two consecutive years to be identified as being in need of assistance.
The 13 districts so designated in "The State Report Card for No Child Left Behind" represent 3.6 percent of Iowa's 364 school districts. Of the state's 1,477 schools last year, 136, or 9.2 percent, were identified as being in need of assistance. That's an increase of 1 percent over the previous year.
At the same time, the state has set the achievement bar higher, increasing the proficiency targets by an average of about 6 percent, the report says. Goals are adjusted every three years in an effort to ensure that all schools reach 100 percent student proficiency in reading and math by the 2013-14 school year as required by No Child Left Behind.
School Superintendent Paul Gausman, who came to the district July 1, said the report has helped the district identify areas that still need work.
He said each school in the district will take data from the report and make a plan that is specific to the school. To meet the proficiency level prescribed by No Child Left Behind, the schools are emphasizing professional development for teachers.
All public school students in grades 3-8 and 11 are tested to determine their reading and math proficiency. For elementary and middle school students, proficiency is measured using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. High school students' proficiency is measured by the Iowa Test of Educational Development, and the Iowa Alternate Assessment measures proficiency for students with the most significant cognitive challenges.
The targets must be met by all students in the tested grades in addition to targets for students in subgroups that include African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, whites, low-income students, English-language learners and those in special education.
When a school misses any target for two consecutive years -- in even one subgroup or tested grade -- it is placed on the schools in need of assistance list. Any school or district so designated must show that it has met achievement targets for two consecutive years before it can be taken off the list.
"We've managed to make improvements in many of the subgroups," Beeck noted. "In some case, the improvements have been significant."
Gausman credited teachers for that and said educators must "own" the challenges a large and diverse school district poses.
"We must look at the report as a prescription to what the district needs to do better," he said. "But the only way to fix the achievement is by looking at (the needs of) the individual student because that's where it all begins."
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Re Pete and TJ wrote on Sep 20, 2008 2:12 PM:
And to TJ: "Our" country means the country of all immigrants. What are you really afraid of ? "
Ah ha wrote on Sep 20, 2008 2:08 PM:
been there wrote on Sep 19, 2008 10:51 PM:
i am there wrote on Sep 19, 2008 10:47 PM:
Teacher To Be wrote on Sep 19, 2008 10:33 PM: