School leaders in three systems in Franklin and northern Androscoggin counties say they have been working all along to improve student achievement and scores on state tests.
They plan to continue to analyze strengths and weaknesses, and make appropriate changes to teaching methods, courses and curriculum to help students succeed.
The state released a list last week that ruled 148 of the state’s 706 schools, about 21 percent, haven’t made the “adequate yearly progress” in math or reading required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The lists are put together based on the Maine Education Assessment scores taken by fourth-, eighth- and 11th-grade students during the previous school year.
Of the 20 public schools in the area, schools on the list were Mt. Blue High and Middle schools, Livermore Falls High and Middle schools and Jay High School. Livermore Elementary School was on by error.
Jay High School’s designation of monitor status, meaning it didn’t make progress in both reading and math for the first year, was expected, Jay Curriculum Director Joe Makley said Wednesday. Significant steps have already been taken to address the situation, he said.
A secondary literacy program is being implemented, and a learning resource center at the high school has been established to help students.
School officials are also in the process of making significant changes in high school mathematics courses and curriculum, which has already been done at the elementary and middle schools, he said.
“There are reasons and challenges that come with these scores, but you never want to use them as excuses because we believe we can improve the scores,” Makley said. “We’ve done that at the elementary level and we’re going to do that at the upper grades.”
Mt. Blue Middle School Principal Gary Oswald said a very small subgroup of students, about 7 percent of the student body, did not make adequate yearly progress in reading, which placed the school on monitor status. There are about 30 subgroups based on several factors including economics, attendance, special education and race, Oswald said Thursday.
Last year two teachers were assigned to work with students with lower-level reading skills in small groups or individually to improve mechanics of reading and writing, he said.
Teachers review the MEA results each year and make necessary changes, he said.
“The difficult thing is the kids who took the test last year are not here anymore,” Oswald said. The tests continue to change as do the students each year, he said.
“It’s hard; it’s like us trying to hit a moving target,” he said.
Mt. Blue High School was given monitor status for a particular subgroup in math. High School Principal Joe Moore said Tuesday that the staff would look at the gaps and try to fill them to meet students’ needs.
Livermore Elementary Principal Jeannine Backus said Wednesday that SAD 36 administrators met that day to discuss what needs to be done to improve student achievement. The elementary school was put on monitor status for reading by error, she said, and will be moved to “safe harbor” status.
But she and her staff still will want to do better, she said.
They’ve already made some changes in the last few years, including implementing all-day kindergarten and working on literacy initiatives, she said, but the real impact won’t be seen for three to five years.
Ted Finn, the new principal at the Livermore Falls Middle School, said Wednesday that he plans to review the state information and work with Backus to understand why the school didn’t make adequate progress in reading for the last three years.
He plans to bring the information to staff Oct. 12.
Livermore Falls High School Principal Rod Wright was unavailable for comment Wednesday on why the the high school was on monitor status for reading.
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