Posts tagged: Idaho schools
Fourth-graders who failed to achieve reading goals had their faces scribbled on with permanent marker by other students last week at Declo Elementary School under the supervision of their teacher, the Times-News reports today. Some parents are concerned about the effect on the targeted students, some of whom have learning problems. You can read the Times-News' full report here from reporter Laurie Welch. The teacher reportedly allowed the children to choose their own incentive to meet the reading goal of reading a certain number of books; students who fell short either would stay in at recess or have their faces written on. Six students chose to have their faces marked on and three missed recess.
Idaho's request for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Law's measuring standards for school success has been granted by the U.S. Department of Education. The state plans instead to use a new “Five-Star Rating System” to judge school success, rather than the NCLB law's “adequate yearly progress” standard, which is based on how many of the school's students, including those in various subgroups, score as proficient on tests; under the federal law, schools that repeatedly fail to meet that standard face sanctions, including lost funding, and can be labeled as failures.
Idaho's new five-star standard weighs proficiency, academic growth, and measures of readiness for post-secondary education or careers. Idaho used the standard last school year, and more than half of the state's schools achieved a four-star or five-star rating, while just 15 percent earned one or two stars. A quarter fell in the middle, with three stars. Under the NCLB standard, for the same year, just 60 percent of Idaho's schools made AYP, meaning 40 percent were labeled as potential failures.
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna hailed the approval, which still needs a final OK from the state Board of Education at its meeting this week in Lewiston. “We will use this data to recognize our excellent schools and provide intensive technical assistance to schools that are struggling,” Luna said. Click below for a full report from AP reporter Todd Dvorak; click here to read the full announcement from the state Department of Education.
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Student progress remains stalled in Idaho under the federal No Child Left Behind law, with about two-thirds of public schools meeting targets. State education officials released results Friday even as Idaho tries to move away from the law's benchmarks and adopt a new five-star rating system for schools. Idaho's request for a waiver from the law, though, is still awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Education. About 60 percent of Idaho schools met adequate yearly progress last year under the law, which is about the same as the previous year, when 62 percent met the targets, mirroring the previous year. Under the proposed new system, about half of Idaho's 650 schools were ranked as four stars. State officials say the new scale is different because it measures academic growth.
Betsy Z. Russell covers Idaho news from The Spokesman-Review's bureau in Boise.
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