OXFORD – Four Oxford Hills schools did not make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to the latest student test results presented to the school district Board of Directors on Monday night.

Curriculum Director Kathy Elkins said the results showed:

* Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris did not make adequate yearly progress in math and reading, as a whole group.

* Oxford Hills Middle School in Paris did not make adequate yearly progress in reading, as a whole group.

* Oxford Elementary School did not make adequate yearly progress in reading for the special education category of test participants.

* Rowe Elementary School in Norway did not make adequate yearly progress for the economically disadvantaged group in math.

The four schools will prepare plans for improvements and present them to the central office staff and curriculum committee for review. The Board of Directors will then receive another update.

Under the 2002 Federal No Child Left Behind Act, adequate yearly progress refers to the growth needed to reach state benchmarks for academic proficiency.

In 2006, the Maine Department of Education mandated that all third-year high school students take the SAT in place of the weeklong Maine Educational Assessment testing that had been used in the past. The move was part of a statewide educational reform strategy, but some school officials were critical of the move, saying the MEA showed student achievement in mastering the Maine Learning Results, but the SAT is a college readiness test.

Oxford Elementary School must show two years of improved scores going forward and they must provide tutoring to the 30 students in the special education category.

The other three schools will have a year to improve their scores.

The good news, Elkins said, is that the other district schools did reach annual yearly progress in reading and math and that those students in the special education category made great strides overall in both tests. The special needs students who are unable to take the traditional test take a special portfolio assessment test.

The scores are released by the state in three categories: the whole school; special education; and economically disadvantaged. The whole school category includes the two other subgroups, Elkins said.

Director John Palmer of Oxford said he wanted to see the numbers that show what the students who are not in the special education or economically disadvantage group did for test results.

Director Bill Hanger of Waterford said he would also like to compare Oxford Hills School District scores against similar school districts.

School officials say that 14 percent of students districtwide receive special education services and 60 percent are considered economically disadvantaged, which means they are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Superintendent Rick Colpitts said the federal government requires that the test results be reported in the way they are as part of the No Child Left Behind legislation, but agreed the results can be misleading.

Elkins said the distribution of the test results this year came in initially inaccurately so she has not had time to dissect the results she received Friday morning.

“We want all our kids to achieve. We’re not going to give up,” Elkins said.

ldixon@sunjournal.com