The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
For the first time, a Virginia Beach school is facing sanctions for failing to meet federal performance goals. But instead of giving parents a choice of sending their children to other schools, the division will offer free tutoring to some students at the school, College Park Elementary.
The school division was able to make that choice because Virginia is part of a pilot program to reverse the typical order of the sanctions, which calls for choice first and tutoring second. However, neither option has proven particularly effective in increasing performance.
College Park, in a neighborhood bordering Regent University, fell short in English performance two years in a row. Unlike other Beach schools that missed targets, College Park faces sanctions because it accepts Title I federal funds for low-income students.
Tutoring is less disruptive to the school and students, said Jared Cotton, the Beach's assistant superintendent for testing. He said he also expects to reach more children with tutoring than would have been possible with school choice.
That's because more parents usually take up the tutoring offer.
In 2008-09, 22 percent of eligible Virginia students took part in tutoring, state data show. By comparison, less than 2 percent of families took advantage of school choice options.
Virginia parents and school officials said they were pleased with tutoring services in 2008-09, according to a July report to the state Department of Education. But the students who were tutored did no better than a control group in either reading or math, and in some cases did worse.
Virginia hasn't studied the effects of school choice, but a national report in 2007 showed no significant changes in achievement for students who switched schools.
This year, 11 of the state's 132 school divisions indicated they plan to switch the order of sanctions, including Norfolk. That's up from eight last year.
If College Park had offered school choice first, parents could have sent their children to Providence or Woodstock elementaries.
Brian Hayner, parent of a fifth-grader at College Park, said he would have liked to have had a choice of schools. "I'd like to get a letter from the school explaining what happened," he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, College Park Principal Nancy Davenport sent a voice message to parents, notifying them that while the school is projected to be accredited by the state, it missed federal targets. She said a letter will be sent to parents with information about tutoring possibilities.
According to federal rules, failing children from low-income families are given first shot at the free tutoring, followed by other low-income students. Students who are struggling but not low-income have third priority. The school must continue to offer tutoring until money is exhausted or all eligible students are served.
The sessions will be held outside the school day but can be on school grounds. A provider fair is in the works to help parents pick tutors. It is unlikely tutoring will start before October.
School begins Sept. 7.
To see College Park Elementary's Virginia "School Report Card," visit http://bit.ly/bMqf2I
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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Free tutoring?
Really it's free? No extra pay to teachers, no extra money from taxpayers. If that is so then good on the teachers. If not then don't call it free. Too many programs are "free" today that cost taxpayers through the nose.
Ummmm. You have brought up
Ummmm. You have brought up an interesting point because it will cost...just not the parents. But...then... the question begs to be asked...why did these kids not reach the designated bench marks? Special ed? Poor attendence? Not doing their homework? Educational disconnect? No parental support? Poor teaching? Too many needy kids in one class? In one school? Because whatever is spent on tutoring or transporting these kids to another school means less money for other kids. Maybe it's the school...maybe it's the school division...maybe the city, state, and federal government....maybe all of us bear some responsibilty....I'm not pointing any fingers and I don't know the answers, but it certainly underscores the complex set of problems that calls itself America's Public Schools....and how this thing called high stakes testing reform may not be the answer. Everyone pays the price when kids fail....even if just one school...in one way or another.
NCLB..."assumed that
NCLB..."assumed that reporting test scores to the public would be an effective lever for school reform. It assumed that changes in governance would lead to school improvement. It assumed that shaming schools that were unable to lift test scores every year—and the people who work in them—would lead to higher scores. It assumed that low scores were caused by lazy teachers and lazy principals, who need to be threatened with the loss of their jobs. Perhaps most naively, it assumed that higher test scores on standardized tests of basic skills are synonymous with good education. Its assumptions were wrong. Testing is not a substitute for curriculum and instruction. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools."
Diane Ravitch: former Asst Sec of Education under Geo W Bush, August 2010
(and an original supporter of NCLB)
yup when the government fails
the serfs pay. welcome to the feudalist states of america! You will pay your taxes and expect nothing from your masters in return. doh!, maybe a sheep farm analogy would work here? No the movie "idiocracy" comes to mind. bah! its a sad day when the only news seems to be about the corruption and incompetence of the people running things. so far its been a pretty sad decade. the only reason to hang out is to see what they they do to us next. Well, the silver lining is stupid children grow up to be stupid taxpayers who all think that stupid government is smarter than they are.
low income school problems
If the government would quit putting so many restrictions on our teachers,all in the name of political correctness and "raising self esteem"
then maybe these kids would learn something.
Bring back some discipline,get rid of the troublemakers so the kids who want to learn CAN learn!ive heard too many teachers complain that they cant do their job with the low income students because if they try to disipline they get the race card thrown at them.the principals and school administrators are are too caught up in their liberal agendas to admit that the real solution is to go back to good old fashioned, time tested methods of education.
My gosh,just look at the old McGuffy readers that were used over a hundred years ago.Those kidsback then could read better in earlier grades than many high schoolers do today.
I'll stack up the education I received back in the 60's over anything thats taught in public schools today.And we didnt have computers and calculators in the classroom!
pass rates
If I'm looking at the report card correctly, this school did not meet AYP in the area of English, but their scores improved from last year. Last year 78 passed and this year 80 passed, but 81 was a passing rate? It looks like scores for whites, blacks, and economically disadvantaged subgroups all went up.
If I'm understanding AYP correctly, 81 is a passing grade for English, but next year the score needed to pass will rise? So even if this school reaches the 81 next year they still will not pass? It appears that the school is improving but the bar is being raised. Is the goal to eventually have 100 be a passing score? Just curious.
pass rate
The goal of the No Child Left Behind legislation is to have a 100% pass rate by 2014.
One Way To Get the Parents Attention
Is to publish the names of the parents whose children cannot pass the Federal/state/local mandated testing. This way the parents would (one would hope) get involved to find out how to help their children achieve academically.
Just think of the thousands of students who might get a nudge in the right direction and be able to enter the job market with an education (and not prison after failing and dropping out of school).
But this will never happen as we would not want to embarass the parents...
It takes a village
I disagree - what good would embarrassing everyone do? Kids who fail would then be subjected to further embarrassment by their peers and the learning environment then becomes truly jeopardized. Might as well sew a scarlet letter on their clothes.
Its one thing if parents aren't overly concerned with their child's education, its completely another if parents want the best for their child but don't necessarily have the means themselves to teach, particularly if they don't know or haven't grasped a particular subject, such as math.
Public chastizing isn't the solution.
Truth
The truth is that not everyone is smart. The truth is that not everyone is going to pass. The truth is that some people really do have a low IQ and are considered to be mentally challenged; yet under NCLB, ALL children, even those who have special needs, are supposed to pass. If all students in every subcategory really did have a 100% pass rate, you know you have tests that are completely worthless because that means that even those with the lowest of IQs can pass. And then what? Will we wonder why our kids know nothing, yet again? Which way will the pendulum swing then?