The Virginian-Pilot
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Suffolk's King's Fork High School is 11 miles from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, but in math terms, they're far from equal.
The scores at King's Fork on the state Algebra II test are among the lowest in Virginia, but Western Branch's students post algebra scores among the top 25 percent.
The way test results are usually reported reflects the percentage of students passing Virginia Standards of Learning tests.
The Virginian-Pilot has gone a step further and analyzed average scale scores, which are posted today school-by-school in a searchable database on PilotOnline.com. Data on free- and reduced-price lunches are also included because poverty has a strong influence on academic performance.
The scores reveal surprises. Schools just a few miles apart show widely varying scores on standardized tests. And some schools defy expectations.
Portsmouth's Douglass Park Elementary, for instance, where four out of five students come from low-income homes, outscores affluent schools such as Virginia Beach's Red Mill Elementary on third- and fifth-grade English and math tests.
And two Richmond elementary schools notched math scores on par with Old Donation Center, the gifted magnet school in Virginia Beach. Virtually all of the students at the two schools, Fairfield Court and Clark Springs, qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, compared with one-third at Old Donation Center.
It can be difficult to spot such differences when evaluating schools by Virginia's main yard sticks, accreditation and "Adequate Yearly Progress," a pass/fail measure for federal accountability.
Both Western Branch and King's Fork are state-accredited. And both failed to reach the federal mark this year - Western Branch because of English performance among disabled students, King's Fork because of math.
Suffolk has struggled with math in all three high schools in recent years, though there have been improvements. Phyllis Sharpe, coordinator of high school instruction, said the division is hiring a lead high school math teacher, has formed a math committee and has given math teachers time to plan as a group.
At King's Fork during the second week of school, Assistant Principal Elke Boone noted that teacher Kivondra Gibson was working math words into a class warm-up.
The bingo game called for students to mark off math expressions such as "2y+4" on a yellow grid when the teacher said the equivalent: "four more than twice y."
Student Lacy McMillian, 18, made a small, tentative X next to a formula on his bingo grid. He seemed unsure and kept looking at the other choices.
Gibson's class, Algebra part I, is the first half of a two-year version of Algebra I, offered for students who didn't excel mathematically in middle school.
McMillian, a sophomore, was taking the first half for a second time. He'll be a junior before he takes the state Algebra I test. Then he'll need to pass another state math test, likely Geometry, before graduation. He may never get to Algebra II.
"There's a lot of students struggling," he said.
On the other end of the course spectrum, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and other area school divisions are able to fill advanced math courses such as Vector Calculus at some high schools.
Robert Q. Berry, a University of Virginia assistant professor, has helped to develop a way to measure good math teaching.
The best instructors frequently check student learning, create a classroom atmosphere where students can take risks, and give students ample opportunities to wrestle with "big ideas," he said.
At Western Branch, Algebra II teacher Pat Zezeski commanded a classroom of 31 students with a rapid-fire, Socratic-style delivery.
"We just drill, drill, drill," Zezeski said. "On the SOLs, they would be expected to choose the correct graph. I take them to, 'Why does this graph get wider or narrower?' "
Fewer students at Western Branch qualify for free lunch than at King's Fork. About a third of the difference in academic performance between schools can be attributed to income, according to "Class and Schools," a 2004 book by Richard Rothstein. But that's not enough to explain the gap between the two schools.
Scores at King's Fork, where about a third of the students qualify for lunch assistance, lag behind much poorer schools, including Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, where two-thirds of students qualify.
Western Branch Principal John R. Sykes III said new technology helps the school's students succeed in math, but "top-notch teachers can do it with chalk." He said the school is "picky" about teacher hiring and has low turnover.
Leadership appears to be another factor in school success. Douglass Park Elementary was led by Barbara Jones-Smith for 12 years, ending last spring.
She oversaw a culture of academic freedom, collaboration, mentoring and high expectations. Data analysis went along with innovative programs for students, such as being mentored by Virginian-Pilot staffers and the early introduction of foreign languages.
"One of my beliefs is that excuses don't matter," including the income level of students' families, Jones-Smith said. "We have to make them believe in themselves."
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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i suspect
its not based on the emotional reasons held by the touchie feelie crowd. it probably has a great deal to do with the caliber of the teacher and the motivation of the children. of coarse it goes without saying they pay magnificent teacher the same as the ones that couldn't teach a tomato to be red. too bad it would seem we have way too many of the latter
Teachers
Boo Rountree, we miss the great teachers like you.
Education Overhaul
We all have opinions, just & well-intented. But, I really think there are numerous complex factors in our ed system for there to be just a quick, straightforward fix. There needs to be a complete overhaul; especially towards uncaring students that pass without merrit. Grade level should not be distinguished by age (yes, i know there are 18 yr old freshmen...) but on courseload comprehension. If a fifteen your old reads at 4th grade level, then that is where that student should be placed. To graduate, you complete All the grades & accompanying courses. After 2 or 3 failed attempts, public education is no longer an option. There are free resources available for ALL students to suceed, so having 1 subpar teacher is Not a valid excuse.
all good and well but...
The primary concern I have as a parent is that my child is learning. When they bring home a textbook and do homework, I make sure they do it, and that they understand it. They turn in their homework, and learn everything they need to know about success in school, AT HOME.
This is a factor that cannot be measured and that affects the child the most.
Step up parents, and your child will succeed whether they get free lunch or not or whether they go to Hickory schools or Ptowns worst.
SOL's were developed to protect
below average teachers. Used to be, a Teacher (a very fine profession) would teach on the grade level, not from a guide, and their pass/fail rate would gage their success. Once we started turning out "Teachers" that were border line failures in college, our success rates suffered dramatically. Along comes the SOL. This test was only supposed to track that no child was left behind, all get educated, the same education to a certain point but that drags down the children who really want to learn. Thanks to this SOL, we can no longer hold an individual teacher accountable for their success. We now teach from a book that was developed by who knows who, that has ultimately decided this is what MY child should be learning at this grade level.
Social Experiment
Let's switch the entire Math dept. at WB with the Math dept. at KF and see if the KF scores rise and the WB scores fall. I've often wonder how this would turn out. I predict the KF scores would improve and the WB scores would drop. As far as comparing the schools, there is a completely different "mind set" with a large percentage of the parents, teachers and students at WB as compared to KF, and until that changes, KF will always struggle and fall behind. Ask yourself: Where is "the hood" in WB? ... and then ask the same question about KF.
There has got to be a better way then SOL's
I believe that P.C.ness comes into play with kids educations now a days. When teachers can't get the problem students removed from their classroom for any offense short of murder, when teachers have to teach to the lowest common denonator in regards to students, when kids are required to sit through classes they have absolutely no interest in, it seems to me we need to start separating the students by the amount of knowledge they have in various subject matter. This in my opinion is more directed to the grades 5th on up. Each year as the poorer students (and I don't mean financially poorer) advance they can retest to move up to the more advanced students classes. Lets stop dummnying down the smarter ones so we don't hurt anyones feelings.
To Daniell, Absolutely
To Daniell,
Absolutely well-said. Period.
Thank you
The most cogent, axiomatic assessment to date. King's Fork is typical in the misguided belief that each student is there to help the other. This is only done in schools (not systems) were urban children attend. The pathology of a particular student, from a particular family is spread to the entire student body.
I remember a conversation I had with my A.D. while on a trip to spring training. A wonderful man, and staunch NYC Liberal, he asked me "what would it take to fix public urban schools?" I told him to do exactly what every other "white" school does. Merit. His first statement was "What about the failing students?" It appears that as long as almost every student was failing, everything was fine in the world with some people.
Several Topics Hit Home
High School Math was boring where I was raised due to large class sizes and teachers who were overwhelmed. Teachers were unable to create a real learning atmosphere. In college, with small class sizes, it was like night and day; I excelled and was straight A's all they way through Trig and calculus.
Students need as much coaching as they can get as well as drill! The drill and practice really counts. Stimulating teachers are a must!
Also, remedial classes make the student feel like a dummy so try to minimize those. Main stream classes are best for everyone. Honors classes would be best for those who already excel otherwise they will be totally wasting their time waiting for the slow learners.