The Echo

Ratings for 195 Delaware public schools to be released
Stimulus funds add to 'improvement dollars'
By JENNIFER PRICE • The News Journal • July 31, 2009

The Department of Education will release ratings today for 195 public schools.

The designations -- "superior," "commendable," "academic progress" and "academic watch" -- tell parents how well their children's schools are progressing toward federal goals.

And in buildings considered "under improvement" for failing to make adequate progress for two consecutive years, they also can force sanctions, such as being required to offer free tutoring to struggling students or to restructure by hiring a new principal or changing curriculum.

Schools that are "under improvement" receive "school improvement" dollars to help make changes in the building. Title 1 schools, which receive federal funds for having a high percentage of low-income students, will be receiving a boost in their school improvement dollars thanks to the federal stimulus package. Last year, there were 111 Title 1 schools in Delaware, most of which were elementary schools. Individual districts choose which schools to designate as Title 1 schools.

This year, Delaware Title 1 schools will be receiving a total of $2.94 million to improve schools, including $1.29 million in stimulus funds, compared to $1.53 million last year.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has set a goal of turning around the bottom 5 percent of the nation's schools over the next five years. He expects schools that receive the money to transform their buildings by making bold changes such as replacing teachers, reopening as a charter school or giving principals more flexibility around budgeting and staffing.

Schools that don't have Title 1 status but are "under improvement" receive state "school improvement" dollars. Last year, they received $1.5 million, but due to budget cuts this year, they'll be getting $1 million.

Delaware officials determine school accountability ratings based on three components: annual progress toward federal goals in student reading and math performances; more rigorous state requirements that also consider science and social studies performances; and the school's accountability history.

The so-called "adequate yearly progress" toward federal No Child Left Behind goals is calculated using Delaware Student Testing Program results to measure the academic performance of all students in a school, as well as the performances of subgroups such as racial minorities, English language-learners, children with disabilities and those from low-income families.

Elementary and middle schools must show the percentage of students failing the DSTP decreased from last year, and high schools must have 82.5 percent of their students graduate or show progress from the year before.

Because NCLB mandates that all students be proficient in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year, Delaware raises the targets schools must meet each year. This year, schools had to have 73 percent of their students pass the reading portion of the DSTP and 58 percent for math.

This year, only students in grades five, eight and 10 took the writing portion of the DSTP due to budget cuts last year. Because writing was only assessed in three grades, it was not used in determining whether a school made adequate progress.

NCLB does not require states to test in writing or social studies. Reading and math must be tested in grades three through eight and at least once in high school. Science must be tested at least at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Schools also must have 95 percent of their students take the DSTP to make adequate progress.

Schools also can show progress through a "growth model" that looks at improvement of individual students' scores over time. Under the growth model, schools earn points when their students make improvements. The state education department calculates adequate progress under both the growth model and the original model, and schools can use whichever model under which they fare best.