Area districts miss mark

While a number of schools in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County failed to meet the adequate yearly progress on tests required under the federal No Child Left Behind law during 2008-09, there were significant gains on test scores by subgroups and schools in the area.

The Virginia Department of Education released the No Child results Thursday, and among area schools, four of six Waynesboro schools met the AYP designation, 13 of 21 Augusta County schools did and so did three of six Staunton schools. All three area school districts failed to meet AYP as districts.

While a number of subgroups recorded percentage increases in reading and math scores, those gains were sometimes not enough to meet the AYP benchmarks which increase 4 percent annually in both subject areas.

Across Virginia, 71 percent of the commonwealth’s schools met or exceeded No Child objectives.

India Harris, coordinator of secondary instruction and k-12 testing in Waynesboro, said math would be a focus during 2009-10 because it led to both Kate Collins Middle School and Waynesboro High failing to meet No Child testing benchmarks.

“Math is the area where both of those schools – those benchmarks were the ones that were not met,” Harris said. “So I would say that for the most part the big focus is going to be looking at the math programs there.”

Harris said Kate Collins will have the benefit of a new math specialist on staff this year.

She said the math program specialist at the school will work on staff development to hone in on those conceptual math skills.

The position was in place before AYP results but Harris said “we know our data. It wasn’t a surprise to us.”

Staunton Schools Testing Director Mickey Fenn said a focus on the district’s eonomically disadvantaged students during the past year paid dividends that included improved test scores for those students at most city schools.

Still, three Staunton schools narrowly missed AYP because reading scores did increase 1.8 percent but not enough at Ware Elementary, and black student English scores increased 1 percent but not enough at Shelburne, and black math scores narrowly missed the passing mark at R.E. Lee High.

Ware’s designation as a Title I school and failure to meet AYP for the second year requires that the school offer students school choice to transfer if they wish, Fenn said.

“We know how hard everyone is working,’’ said Fenn,who said teachers involved in data teams at the six city schools immediately began working on school improvement plans when they received test scores in July.

Fenn said during the upcoming school year, students will practice test more on questions locally generated and from released tests.

Augusta County Testing Coordinator Gordon Mowen said the picture is much brighter in Augusta County than just reporting than 13 of 21 schools met AYP.

All four county middle schools missed the adequate yearly progress mark, as did Beverley Manor, Stuarts Draft, Verona and Ladd elementary schools.

Those bottom line facts obscure some gains.

“The pass rate for reading was up for all subgroups except Hispanic students,’’ Mowen said. And there were bright spots in individual schools such as Craigsville Elementary.

While there is a large free and reduced lunch student population at Craigsville, the school made AYP. And at North River Elementary, there was a 10 percent increase in math and reading test scores for economically disadvantaged students at the school.

Mowen said a major strategy being expanded to eight elementary schools during the upcoming school year is the Response To Intervention program.

Mowen said the program is an elementary one that looks at the needs of each student, and said one of the program’s major goals is to have students reading on grade level by the third grade.