6
Morris schools flunk federal test again
They fail to
meet education standards for second year
Thursday, September 30, 2004 • BY KRISTEN ALLOWAY AND
MAURA McDERMOTT • Star-Ledger Staff
Six Morris County schools
learned yesterday that they have not met the benchmarks of
the federal No Child Left Behind Act for the second year in
a row, according to the state Department of
Education.
A significant majority of
New Jersey schools -- 76 percent -- did meet the standards,
state education officials emphasized yesterday.
But in Morris County,
Dover middle and high schools, Morristown High and
Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morristown and Morris Hills
and Morris Knolls high schools all have been notified they
are schools "in need of improvement" by the state Department
of Education.
"Our district is focused
and is definitely addressing the issue," said Angela Rieck,
president of the Morris school board. She said, "The larger
issue is just how badly designed the No Child Left Behind
law is."
The program labels a
school as failing if two consecutive classes of children --
for example, special education students in certain grades --
do not meet standards.
Children in grades 3, 4, 8
and 11 take the tests each year.
It would be more fair to
measure the progress of one group of children as they
advance to the next grade, Rieck said.
Maurita Bivans, assistant
superintendent in the Morris district, said the schools on
the list are offering "research-based" curriculum,
individualized testing, longer school days and teacher
training to help improve student performance.
No Child Left Behind
requires the middle school to offer extra tutoring to its
most disadvantaged students, since the school receives
federal Title 1 funds and is in its second year on the
list.
The school has offered
those services to eligible children, Bivans
said.
Like some other educators,
Bivans questioned elements of the law.
"Students with (learning
and other) disabilities are expected to achieve on the same
level as their nondisabled peers," she said. "I think that's
a difficult area for most school districts."
Children throughout the
Morris district speak 40 dialects, and those who have been
in the United States for more than a year are subject to the
same standards as their U.S.-born classmates, she added. "I
can't imagine how a student who is new to the country is
expected to pass a high-stakes test," she said.
In Sussex County,
Hopatcong's middle and high schools did not achieve the
goals two years running, neither did Glen Meadow School in
Vernon, Sussex County Technical High School, Phillipsburg
High School and Warren Hills Regional Middle
School.
In Phillipsburg, Andover
Morris and Phillipsburg Middle School learned they have been
on the state list for four years.
The law requires each
school to show steady gains in its average test scores in
reading and math for not only the student body as a whole,
but also when broken down by racial, income and special
education status. All schools must reach 100 percent
proficiency by 2013.
Those that fall short in
any one of more than 40 categories are placed in "early
warning" after one year and deemed "needing improvement"
after two or more years, facing escalating sanctions the
longer they remain on the list.
The state groups schools
by how long they have been out of compliance with the
federal requirements. Some 169 schools statewide did not
achieve the goals during the last school year but did the
prior year and received an "early warning" from the
state.
The 280 schools that did
not meet the performance standards for two consecutive years
are considered in need of improvement. Many of those schools
must offer parents a choice to move their students to
another school in the district that did meet the goals. If
that is not possible -- for example, if there is only one
high school in the district -- the school must offer
tutoring or other supplemental service.
Nearly 60 schools learned
they have been on the list for three years. Those schools,
if they receive federal Title 1 funding earmarked for the
neediest students, also must offer parents a school choice,
if possible, or tutoring, or they may lose their government
aid.
Some 118 schools,
including the two in Warren County, have been deficient for
four years in a row and must submit a comprehensive
improvement plan to the state Department of
Education.
That plan could include
revising curriculum, lengthening the school day or academic
year, or shifting faculty, said Karen Campbell, manager of
Title 1 schools for the state Department of
Education
In addition, there are 275
schools, including 23 in Morris County, that met the federal
standards in 2003-04, but did not the previous school year.
Those schools are placed "on hold" for another year but face
no sanctions.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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