Days after the Maine Department of Education named hundreds of schools that are failing, improving or high-performing under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, many area officials said they were happy to discover their schools were on the “good lists.”

But they maintained that a little bad luck and a few percentage points are all that really stand between their celebrated schools and the failing list.

“I think the whole thing is full of holes,” said Union 44 Superintendent Paul Malinski, whose Sabattus Elementary School was deemed failing last year but recognized for math improvement this year.

On Friday, the Maine Department of Education announced that 10 Maine schools had failed to make adequate yearly progress for two or more years and that 143 schools had failed to make adequate progress for one year. Schools made the one-year list if fewer than 95 percent of students finished the statewide test, if they didn’t perform well enough on the test or if the school had a low attendance rate or a low graduation rate.

At the same time, officials recognized 33 schools for improving reading, 27 schools for improving math and 38 schools for consistently high performance in reading or math.

Seven improved or high-performing schools were from this region, including Sabattus Elementary, Hartford-Sumner Elementary, Minot Consolidated, Kingfield Elementary, Waterford Memorial and Otisfield Community schools. Strong Elementary was recognized for both math improvement and high performance.

It was welcome news to the school officials.

“I’m thrilled. We’re very proud,” said SAD 17 Curriculum Director Kathy Elkins, whose Waterford Memorial and Otisfield Community schools were recognized for reading improvement. Her district’s Oxford Hills Middle School failed to make adequate progress.

Elkins said the elementary schools saw steady improvements in their Maine Educational Assessments, statewide standardized tests that are given to students in grades four, eight and 11.

Otisfield’s scores improved seven points over the last three years. Waterford scores improved eight points over the last three years. Each saw huge increases in the percentage of students who met standards.

But Elkins’ glee was tempered.

“It could just be the class,” she said.

The scores seesaw

Both elementary schools are tiny, and generally have 15 to 25 kids in each fourth grade. That means that a few kids can raise- or lower- scores dramatically.

This year, the schools have been honored for improvement.

Next year, they could be reprimanded for not making adequate yearly progress.

Buckfield Junior-Senior High School in SAD 39 nearly found itself in that position this year. Only 53 of the school’s 56 11th-graders – exactly 95 percent – took the MEAs, said Superintendent William Shuttleworth.

“If one more had been absent, we would have been on the list,” he said.

Instead, Shuttleworth learned that the Junior-Senior High School wasn’t on the failing list and his Hartford-Sumner Elementary school was recognized for improving math scores.

“Any time you’re not on the booger list you feel relief,” Shuttleworth said. “For the time being we avoided the list.”

Union 44’s superintendent felt the same way.

Sabattus Elementary, a 500-student school for kids in kindergarten through grade eight, was listed as a “needs improvement” school for failing to make adequate yearly progress last year. On Friday, officials learned that the school was off that list and is now being recognized for math score improvement.

“For kids in Sabattus to have a pat on the back is wonderful,” said Principal Beverly Coursey.

The school system’s superintendent, an outspoken opponent of the No Child Left Behind Act, was also pleased with the elementary school’s new designation. But he’s wary, too.

Said Malinski, “I’m pleased but I don’t take delight in knowing we have to fight this battle every year.”

ltice@sunjournal.com