 |
|
|
||
|
By Amanda McGregor SALEM - The Salem schools continue to struggle with overall improvement on test scores required to meet annual progress under No Child Left Behind. Despite marked progress at Salem High School on the MCAS, and other successes, some students aren't making sufficient progress, said Assistant Superintendent Alyce Davis, who recently prepared a report on test scores for the School Committee. It's a problem faced by many other schools, particularly in urban districts like Salem. "All we can control is the instruction," Davis said. "So we're focusing a lot on that effort through professional development and effective teaching." Some programs will likely face changes, like the Bowditch and Collins middle schools where scores continue to lag, she said. At Bates, Bentley and Horace Mann elementary schools, for example, reading scores have remained stagnant and the failure rates are 20 percent, 29 percent and 19 percent, respectively, according to Davis' report. All three schools use the same reading program. Witchcraft, Saltonstall and Carlton use a different reading program, and the failure rates there are much lower, ranging between 5 percent and 9 percent. "We are focusing on what we believe we can control," Davis said. Davis touted progress with some variables, such as attendance during the exams at the high school. Attendance directly affects MCAS scores, since students who don't take the exam get a zero that is factored into the average. On the bright side, advanced math scores have shot upward in grades three to five in the last three years. Davis has been talking with similar districts in "corrective action" - a rating used by education officials - including Gloucester and Peabody. "We talk about things like the best way to educate second-language children," Davis said. But some challenges are daunting, she said, noting that children who move from a foreign country to Salem in late winter must take the spring MCAS, after barely starting to learn English. In Salem, 36 percent of students have limited English language skills, more than twice the number statewide, according to state figures. So Salem schools have focused on strategies like teacher coaches and co-taught classrooms to boost performance for children still struggling to learn the language. There is overall progress, but it's not the aggregate that counts with No Child Left Behind. Each subgroup of students - including special education and students with limited English proficiency - must make progress. Davis said she would be remiss, however, to harp on the obstacles. "I think standards are wonderful things," she said. "... I like that we're improving ... but I won't be pleased until every school makes AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). I'm very fortunate to have supportive teachers and principals." To learn more about Salem MCAS and AYP and view individual school reports, visit the Salem Public Schools Web site at salem.k12.ma.us. |
||||
|
|
||||