Education Notebook

Article: Lincoln students: 'MCAs gonna be a good, good test'

Call it a pep rally for test prep.

Students around Minnesota are gearing up for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-Series IIs, which are reading, math and science tests used to gauge school performance for the federal No Child Left Behind Law. The state tests are given on specific dates in mid-April through May.

The high stakes tests break down achievement rates by race and economic demographics and are used by the U.S. Department of Education to signify which schools are well performing and which need improvement.

If a school fails to meet No Child Left Behind's Adequate Yearly Progress goals too many times in a row, it could fall victim to restructuring or eventual closure. Those penalties have caused the MCA-IIs to be considered a curse word in some circles. But at Lincoln Choice School, the students and staff are aggressively preparing for the tests.

A 'good, good test'

On Thursday afternoon, students jumped around and yelled as confetti sprinkled the air, sixth-grader Mohamed Mohamoud and hundreds of his classmates sang "MCAs gonna be a good, good test" to the tune of the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling.

This is the fourth year of the "MCA-II Rocktown Tour" by Lincoln students, when students create their own program, along with trash-can drummers, dancing and school orchestra performances.

"It's a high stakes test and it's not something to be anxious about or something to fear," Lincoln Choice Principal James Sonju said, standing on a confetti-speckled gymnasium floor. "We say bring it on."

Lincoln Choice School has made adequate yearly progress each year. In 2008, 85 percent of Lincoln's students tested in math and reading reached proficiency, higher than Rochester's 74 percent proficiency in math and 77 percent in reading overall. Lincoln students brought their show to four different schools this year. Reading and mathematics tests are given in grades three through eight, and also 10 and 11. Science tests are given in three age groups, but they aren't used for Adequate Yearly Progress goals. Smaller schools without diverse populations, low-income and or special education students traditionally fare better on the MCA-II tests.

Of the state’s 50 largest districts, only three made Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks last year. Contrast that with Byron, Mabel-Canton and Spring Grove public schools, three small southeastern Minnesota school districts who have made AYP each year since 2003.

Spring Grove Principal Nancy Gulbranson said there isn't one secret to their success. She credited her teachers and the community's parents.

"We talk of the tests, so [the students] don't have any surprises, but we really just keep our nose to the grindstone," Gulbranson said. "We have very good attendance, you can't teach an empty chair, and I think that helps immensely."

Measuring up relies on group effort

Politically, the tests are a cluster of contention. An entire school district can be listed as not meeting AYP benchmarks if one population doesn't measure up. One example: Spring Grove scored 68 percent proficiency among the 113 students tested in math last year. Rochester scored 74 percent proficiency among 5,259 students test. Spring Grove made AYP, though, and Rochester didn't because of particular populations.

The contention continues on a state level because each state has different tests, which vary in difficulty.
While more of Minnesota's schools are sliding toward "needing improvement" — almost half of the state's 2,303 schools measured were cited in 2009 — a 2007 Fordham Institute study pointed out that Minnesota's standards are more stringent compared to other states.

Critics say the MCA's aren't a true measure of student performance, but others say the MCA-IIs apply accountability to Minnesota's schools. Meanwhile, as adults argue about whether the tests are a true measure of a student's ability though, the tests continue to be rolled out.

Lincoln Choice fourth-grader Camille Lowell received an award last week for her test preparation. She's excited. "I'm really looking forward to [the test]," said 9-year-old Camille.

Article: Improvement for Rochester schools might reside within core curriculum

While the Rochester school district has grappled with a five-year plan to help failing students reach proficiency and close achievement gaps, the way to improve state test scores might be to change the district's core curriculum, according to a discussion Tuesday night.

School board members discussed the curriculum during an update of the five-year plan to raise student proficiency. Much of the discussion centered around other items, like current practices going on in schools, continuing to implement interventions, etc.

Below are links to the article and the presentation, and the article is pasted below those:

LINK: Improvement in Rochester schools might sit in core curriculum (article)
LINK: District management plan update (pdf)

Article: Southeastern Minnesota schools districts toe the line for Race to the Top

The Minnesota Department of Education is finalizing the state’s Race to the Top grant, but southeastern Minnesota schools aren’t exactly jostling for spots at the starting line.

Below is the rest of the article from Friday's paper about Race to the Top. Here is a link of all the districts in Southeastern Minnesota who are participating. I'll link to the print edition when it appears in Friday's paper. I have some pretty lengthy comments from area superintendents, I'll try to post them in full here at a later date if people are interested.

More than 250 districts statewide have joined the state’s competitive bid to receive federal funding from the Race to the Top program, including 20 of the 35 school districts in southeastern Minnesota.

Critics say they can’t support Race to the Top because of requirements for teacher performance pay and possible teacher evaluation tied to test scores. Others, who are supporting it, say they still have unanswered questions about how the grant will materialize.

State officials need to deliver the application by Tuesday in order to be eligible for Race to the Top, which will give a total of $4.35 billion in federal funds to roughly 10 to 15 states for innovation and improvement of K-12 education.

Minnesota’s share
Experts have said Minnesota could receive between $175 million and $250 million if selected by the federal government. About 80 percent to 90 percent of the funds would go to the districts that have signed up, while the remaining funds would go to the state Department of Education.

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said Minnesota’s history of reform, standards and assessment and the merit-pay program Q Comp should put the state in a good position.

“I think we should impress the feds,” Seagren said.

To participate within Minnesota’s bid, school districts needed to complete a memorandum of agreement with the superintendent’s signature. The signatures of school boards and local teachers unions were suggested but not required.

Based on sheer numbers of districts signing up, the grant could be viewed so far as a success. Many in southeastern Minnesota are moving ahead cautiously and approval from teachers unions has proved difficult to secure.  Education Minnesota, the state teacher’s union, does not support the grant in its present state.

Cautious districts
Critics say the program provides little incentive for what they called arduous work, while others, like Blooming Prairie Superintendent Barry Olson, have said Race to the Top is too political. Even with his concerns, Olson still submitted his approval, since the superintendent’s signature allows districts to opt out at a later date. Many have said they might do so.

“We are here really to work for the students, to work for their education. To play all of these policies games they are creating doesn’t really help the students in the classroom,” Olson said. “It takes more time away from that.”

Byron Public Schools will not pursue the grant after their teachers union ruled against signing up for the program. The state three times denied Byron’s proposals for Q Comp, the state’s merit pay program for teachers.

Even though many still have questions about Race to the Top, everyone isn’t negative.

Lake City schools Superintendent Craig Junker said there are many questions surrounding the program, but there isn’t much to lose at this point by endorsing it. “My signature keeps a foot in the door for Lake City,” Junker said.

Rushford-Peterson Superintendent Chuck Ehler said schools should first try to get the grant and then resolve the concerns and issues about requirements. “It’s a competitive world and the State of Minnesota and all the school districts need to do all they can to secure additional federal funds for our schools,” Ehler said.

LINK: Southeastern Minnesota schools that will participate in Race to the Top (.pdf)

Will Race to the Top become 'No Child Left Behind on Steroids'?

Here's my article from Monday about Minnesota's efforts in applying for federal Race to the Top funds, which are part of the stimulus package. It's still unclear if the amount of money will make the program worth it. For example, school districts/states will need to agree to common standards.

And if you're an educator/administrator/etc. out there, you've probably had enough with standards changing every 12 minutes.

Story here:

LINK: Feds continue with Race to the Top program

Article: What are my options as a parent of a school identified by "school choice"?

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=413922

Parents from two of Rochester's elementary schools this fall received a letter saying that because of recent state test scores, they could choose to send their students to different district schools.

But why? Here are some answers:

Why were Pinewood and Riverside Central elementary schools cited by the state?

Pinewood and Riverside Central students did not meet the Minnesota Department of Education's yearly progress goals, linked to the federal No Child Left Behind mandate.

The benchmarks, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, require certain percentages of a school's population to pass state tests in reading and math.

School populations are separated into eight groups, including racial and socio-economic categories. If one of the groups does not make AYP, the school is cited.

Pinewood Elementary was cited for reading proficiency among Hispanic, black and English-language learning students. Riverside Central Elementary was cited for reading proficiency among black, English-language learning and low-income students. Math proficiency also lagged among low-income students.

Were other schools in Rochester cited?

Yes. Thirteen of Rochester's schools were cited in all. Nearly half of Minnesota's schools statewide were cited.

If other schools were cited, why were these two schools penalized?

Pinewood and Riverside Central were penalized for two reasons:

First, any school that fails to meet AYP for two straight years in either math or reading -- in the same student subgroup -- is penalized. For example, if one subgroup of students miss AYP in reading two years in a row, that school would be penalized.

Second, the schools were penalized because they receive federal Title I dollars. If a school receives that money, they are subject to the penalties. Bamber Valley and Folwell elementary schools did not make AYP this year, but they do not receive Title I dollars, so they are not penalized.

The penalties escalate each year. At Riverside Central and Pinewood, the district must offer parents the choice of attending another district school.

What are my options as a parent?

Riverside Central parents can choose to send their children to Churchill-Hoover Elementary or Jefferson Elementary. Pinewood parents can switch schools to Franklin Elementary. Or, parents can choose for their students to remain at their current schools.

Either way, Susanne Griffin-Ziebart, Rochester's executive director of school improvement and accountability, said that parents should first talk with their child's teachers and building principal.

"First of all, you need to make a decision based on what's best for your individual child," she said.

Should I feel that I need to move my student?

Griffin-Ziebart said parents shouldn't panic.

"I think there are a couple of things to consider why you might want choice and why you might not want choice," she said. "Families have relationships at the school with staff members, principals, with others in the school communities. Those are great resources for kids to be successful."

For more information, parents can contact each school office directly.

[PB]

Articles: Does No Child Left Behind hinder a school helping students who have been left behind?

Rochester Off-Campus Charter School was formed to offer school to the under-served. Specifically, the school charged that it would first enroll students who:
• are at least one year behind in grade level,
• pregnant or already a parent,
• chemically dependent,
• victims of physical or sexual abuse,
• homeless in the past six months,
• have experienced mental health problems,
• or have been expelled by a school district.

Taken another way, they help the students who have for whatever reason have been unable to find success at other public schools.

And while charter schools have been getting beat up by pundits and education experts lately, this school has been in operation since 1993. So does it make sense to penalize a school by the rules of No Child Left Behind, when this school only enrolls those who have been essentially left behind?

It's an interesting debate.

Here are the articles in today's paper:

Do standards penalize school that helps those left behind?

Rochester Off-Campus enters 'pre-restructuring' penalty

[PB]

Sound off: No Comment Left Behind (NCLB, AYP reader reactions)

Since you can't throw a rock without hitting a news story about No Child Left Behind and MCA-II scores, I figured it would be a decent time to show some recent reader comments...

Some interesting points being brought up here about parental involvement versus school quality, and some who urge reform of No Child Left Behind.

The following comments came from these recent articles:

Small schools reign large on AYP

13 Rochester schools cited for not hitting No Child Left Behind benchmarks

MCA-II scores from area charter schools

State science scores improve, but nearly half still aren't proficient

Also, thanks again to all of the new readers checking in -- don't be afraid to comment if you want to respond to these, either. (As always, I hope we maintain a level of respect and decorum here. Inclusion of these comments is merely to spark debate - not ignite name calling. Inclusion of comments absolutely does not reflect the views of the writer (me), the Post-Bulletin, or any employees therein.)

Questions? Concerns? E-mail

On to the comments:

Peace
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/12/2009 at 8:47:53 PM

We used to live in Byron and the schools there were EXCELLENT compared to the ones our kids have attended in Rochester.  And the ones they have attended here are supposedly some of the best in the district.

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mamabear
Chatfield, MN

Posted on 8/12/2009 at 11:58:16 AM

I have a different view from all that I’ve read online the last couple of days. My personal experience with MCAs is that my child passes all the MCAs with no trouble but has difficulty with normal classroom work. The teachers at his school focus so much on the MCAs that when it comes to normal work, we have trouble. Figure that one out.

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YouAreWro
ng
Rochester, MN

 Posted on 7/22/2009 at 4:14:44 PM

The state wants a test all kids should pass.

Then the state should have a curriculum all schools use that matches the test.

I don’t trust the state one bit. I will bet there are a ton of questions the kids have never seen before.

The state of Minnesota should have a state curriculum.

In fact, when Timmy moves from Minneapolis to Rochester, he will just pick up where he left off because everyone is doing the same thing.

This concept though makes too much sense and takes the power out of the hands of the state. It gives the teachers too much power and we can’t have that.

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tcalexand
er
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 9:39:56 AM

Maybe it’s time for the government to rethink no-child left behind.  It’s got a huge flaw in it implies that schools are soley responsible for student outcomes.  This is in no way the case.  Student outcomes are determined by the students, the parents, and the schools in that order. 

A much better solution for no child left behind is to require parents to be responsible for their children learning.  Successful students are provided oppertunities and discipline developed through the home to make the whole education oppertunity work.  We for instance do not let our kids play video games until their homework is done and checked.  We also routinely follow up with the school (online) to watch their progress.  If the progress is not sufficient, the spend more time on their homework and the expense of their personal entertainment.  The key is we are ACTIVELY INVOLVED.

IMO if a student is failing the parent needs to make a concious choice to provide the student more guidance outside the school.  If they will not do so willingly, charging them a fee to provide additional mentoring to their student is very reasonable. 

Education is very much that old statement - “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.  Same thing, you can bus kids all over the country to give them an education but if they don’t feel like participating and their parents are parenting you can spend trillions of dollars per student and they still won’t learn.

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chimin
rochester, mn

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 10:31:10 AM

Exactly, school is impt, teachers play a fundamental role, but their hands are tied if the parents or guardians don’t support/reinforce the respect and need for a good, solid education. I am a success story of inner city Chicago Public Schools and it was primarily because my parents stressed the need for education.  As an elementary student, my parents checked my homework daily, in high school they discussed grades and school with me, but did not understand the content .. but they still engaged.

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beekeeper
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 11:00:37 AM

Lincoln staff worked hard all year to get kids and parents to use Study Island, and it has paid off two years in a row. I don’t think it is Study Island per se that did the trick, although it probably helped. More pertinent, I think, was the attitude that mastering the material is important.

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begivesee
13
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/12/2009 at 11:17:49 AM

Sideline - Lincoln K-8 serves both elementary and secondary (middle school) students.  Lincoln students in grades 6-8 take the same MCA tests as all other district students in grades 6-8. And these Lincoln middle school students - like their peers at Willow Creek - also made AYP. In fact, Lincoln’s proficiency rate in 2009 was higher in both reading and math than at Willow Creek.  In the current environment, any school that helps its students be proficient deserves congratulations. 

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rvnsea
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/12/2009 at 7:26:22 AM

Profile: The parents and staff do have the job of helping the kids but the kids need to help themselves. Everyone involved in this need to work at it.

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BT
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 11:37:33 PM

... People do need to know that Riverside does have excellent staff at all levels.  They really do!  I also feel they have many kids of all geographical demographics working hard to learn to the best of their ability.  And we also have a group of students that simply do not care!  Have we lost that level of respect of our students to teachers?  Authority?  The law?  Many and I mean many respect it but we have a volume of individuals at all age levels that do not. 

But even #535 can not deny the fact that we also have discipline issues that must be addressed and done so on a CONSISTENT basis!

Here is a comparison to think about; Our curriculum is changing in that what kids were being taught in 4th grade a few years back, well now its taught in grades two or three. Well sadly, the flip side of that coin is that some of the discipline issues that were happening in middle and high school ages are now happening at the elementary school!  We all hear of sad cases of young and I mean very young people getting caught up in crimes we could never imagine.

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YouAreWro
ng
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 9:19:53 PM

One small subgroup determines if you made it. If 10 kids are in a group and 3 of them won’t do their homework or get out of bed to come to school, that school is listed.

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Just_Me
Small Town, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 10:55:50 AM

I agree that parents need to be involved, and I am a very involved parent.  But, we cannot ignore the fact that are some teachers and districts that need change, and I’ve been in that situation and tried for more than three years to work with the school and got no where.  Long story short, I ended up transferring my child and he has completely excelled in a new school, and the difference in the schools is unbelievable!

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Commentat
or
Rochester, MN

Posted on 8/11/2009 at 10:18:36 AM

... It is the active parents that have the students who are striving to do their best.  The parents who don’t care about education (thorugh their actions, not their words) are the ones whose child doesn’t care about education either.  That is why none of the choice schools are on the failing list (the parents care enough to find a school they think will be good for their child).  Longfellow does not count because until this year, it has been considered a neighborhood school as well as a choice school.

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MCA-II, AYP numbers for local charter schools (Studio, ROC, Math & Science Academy)

An interested reader asked me for the figures of local charter schools. Proving that the squeakiest wheel gets the oil, here are the figures. (The image is too small, but it shows at regular size if you click and view it in a new window.)

Here are the adequate yearly progress totals for each charter school:

Studio Academy made AYP.

Rochester Off-Campus Charter High School did not make AYP.
Cited for:
• Math proficiency (All students)
• Attendance

Rochester Math and Science Academy (formerly Adam Abdulle Academy) did not make AYP.
Cited for:
• Reading participation and proficiency (All students, black students, English-learning students, low-income students),
• Math participation (All students, black students, English-learning students, low-income students).

One interesting point about RMSA. It has to be one of the only schools in the state that isn't rated on white students, mainly because the school enrolls fewer than 20 white students.

Another person might ask, how did Studio Academy reach AYP when 24 percent of students passed math? Other schools had a much higher rate, but didn't pass. The answer is that the Studio started much lower -- last year only 9 percent of students rated proficient on math.

Byron, Lanesboro, Mabel-Canton and Spring Grove continue their best Don Larsen (Mark Buehrle?) impressions on No Child Left Behind's annual benchmarks

Four local school districts remain perfect on No Child Left Behind's adequate yearly progress. Since the measure was established in 2003, Byron, Lanesboro, Mabel-Canton and Spring Grove public school districts have each passed every year.

While No Child Left Behind's benchmark system can be debated, and a person can argue that larger schools are worse off due to student sample sizes (an article today and in the following bog post will examine just that), we should still tip our hats to the districts who have been able to make AYP, especially those who have done so every year.

Here are some other districts who have made it several years, with the years missed in parenthesis:

Kasson-Mantorville (2005)
Lewiston-Altura (2004)
Southland (2006)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa (2006).

(Apologies to the youngins who aren't familiar with Don Larsen, or the old-timers who bristle at putting Mark Buehrle in the same sentence.)

13 of Rochester's school buildings cited on No Child Left Behind list

The results are in -- almost half of the state's schools were cited for failing to meet No Child Left Behind progress benchmarks.

The state Minnesota Department of Education on Monday night released this year’s list of schools not making adequate yearly progress, one of the components of the oft-debated federal No Child Left Behind legislation. That law states that all children should be proficient by 2014 and the AYP list shows which schools are making sufficient progress toward that goal. Schools are rated by racial and demographic subgroups and failure by one of those groups to make the progress benchmarks can land the entire district on the list.

AYP uses MCA-II scores from reading and math. (MCA-IIs, or Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II, are state tests given to students each year.)

Last year, 931 schools made the list. (In traditional education-speak, they have dubbed this "adequate yearly progress.") This year, 1,048 were named. In Rochester, 13 regular school sites were named.  (Alternative Learning Programs and Burr Oak were excluded, since those buildings involve a small population and ALC's traditionally fail to meet AYP guidelines. Those students traditionally enroll at-risk students.)

Now, if your or your child's school is listed, it's probably not time to panic. (Alice Seagren actually says that in our article today.) The larger the school is and the more diverse the school population, the higher the chance the school lands on the AYP list. Of the top 20 school districts in the state, all were listed in some form on AYP.

(I have complied a list of our local schools that have always made AYP, which I hope to put together for a second-day article.)

Here are the local districts who were not cited on the list and made adequate yearly progress: Byron, Caledonia, Dover-Eyota, Fillmore Central, Hayfield, Kasson-Mantorville, Kingsland, Lanesboro, Lewiston-Altura, Mabel-Canton, Southland, Spring Grove, Wabasha-Kellogg, Zumbrota-Mazeppa.

While no one should be jumping out of windows, these tests do show that certain underserved populations are not meeting progress goals, for whatever reason. But for these tests to make any sort of difference, the discussions now need to turn from who isn't achieving, to why they aren't achieving.

Here is a .pdf file of the Rochester schools that have been cited this year.

Here is a .pdf file of all of the southeastern Minnesota schools that have been cited this year.

Here is a .xls file of all school data statewide, provided by Minnesota Department of Education. (Microsoft Exce file, works in OpenOffice, too.)

For some reason, the article still isn't online, so here it is (I'll remove this and put the link here once it goes live):

Some schools fall short of No Child Left Behind's moving target

By Elliot Mann / Post-Bulletin
Thirteen Rochester public schools — along with 46 percent of Minnesota’s schools statewide — have been named to this year’s list of schools not making yearly progress goals.

Two Rochester schools have landed on the list enough consecutive times that parents at the school can now choose to send them to another district site. Those schools are Pinewood and Riverside Central elementary schools. Parents will be presented with the choice of sending their children to other specific schools. However, Franklin Elementary School, which was cited last year, came off the list this year.
The state Minnesota Department of Education on Monday night released this year’s list of schools not making adequate yearly progress, one of the components of the oft-debated federal No Child Left Behind legislation. That law states that all children should be proficient by 2014 and the AYP list shows which schools are making sufficient progress toward that goal.

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said that from 2006 to 2009, the state has seen constant gains, even if the numbers aren’t keeping pace with No Child Left Behind requirements.

“The bottom line for me is about half made AYP and about half did not,” Seagren said. “There’s not a need to panic though. ... We’re seeing steady progress. Is it fast enough in some subgroups? No, but we’re not seeing our state going backward.”

Schools are rated by racial and demographic subgroups and failure by one of those groups to make the progress benchmarks can land the entire district on the list. As a district, Rochester was cited in these populations this year: reading proficiency of English language learners, math proficiency of black students and low-income students, and both reading and math proficiency of special education students.

Superintendent of Rochester public schools Romain Dallemand said schools here are performing well in the big picture. Among all district sites, Rochester is rated by more than 300 different demographic categories.

“We’re looking at 316 categories and we’re only cited in 41,” Dallemand said. “That’s an 88 percent success rate. That’s very good.”