By Rebecca Correa
Staff writer
May 09, 2008 06:01 am More schools than ever failed to meet the state's academic standards. About 60 percent of the state's 474 schools failed to perform adequately, according to the state Department of Education. Local schools didn't fare any better. More than half — 26 of 40 — local schools failed to perform adequately in math, reading or both subjects. That's more than double the number of local schools that failed to make adequate yearly progress last year. Adequate yearly progress is a term coined as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It is based on each school's attendance rates, participation and, most importantly, standardized test scores. Yesterday, even the school districts that traditionally do well in the state's eyes learned some of their schools were failing to meet the state's expectations. Only Hampstead schools remain adequate, according to state officials. In Londonderry, where only one school was on the state's failure to progress list last year, five of the town's six schools are now on the list. Londonderry Superintendent Nate Greenberg said he was concerned, but not overly worried. Administrators agree part of the reason so many more schools failed to meet the state's expectations is because the state is raising the standards too high and too fast. "The bar gets raised every year," Greenberg said. "We're going to continue to provide our students with instruction that we think is appropriate and meets their needs." In Windham, the story isn't much different. Windham schools have made adequate progress every year until this year. Yesterday, officials learned both schools ended up failing in the state's eyes. Even though students at Golden Brook Elementary School are too young to take standardized tests, those students automatically earn the ranking of their older peers, according to Roxanne Wilson, Pelham and Windham assistant superintendent. In this case, that ranking was inadequacy. Wilson agreed part of the reason four of the five schools she helps oversee didn't make progress is because the state has upped the ante. "Every two years, the target is increasing to eventually get every school to that 100 percent proficiency," she said. "I think we're going to see more and more schools not make AYP in the future. It will be impossible to avoid the list." Schools that do not make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years receive the lowest designation possible and are deemed a "school in need of improvement." There were 183 schools statewide on that list, 11 locally. The Sanborn Regional School District's D.J. Bakie Elementary in Kingston and Pelham Memorial School were the only two local schools added to the list this year. Those districts will now be required to work with the state to improve standardized test scores through after-school programs or curriculum changes. If the districts fail to improve in years to come, both will be at risk of losing some state aid. "I wasn't surprised Pelham Memorial didn't make AYP in math because of the dismal results statewide," Wilson said. "Even among all three states that took the (standardized test) in math, students did worse than they did in reading." In order for any of the 11 local schools to get off the "need improvement" list, schools need to make progress two years in a row. Two schools — one in Salem and one in Sanborn — did get some good news yesterday and learned they had made progress toward being removed from the list. Wilson, the Pelham-Windham assistant superintendent, said school officials will begin planning to improve math scores immediately. But there isn't much time to make changes. Students will take the annual standardized test again in October. "The disheartening thing is, it's what? It's May 8," Wilson said. "With six weeks of school left, what can I put into place to help these students in that short period of time when they need to take the test again so soon?" Administrators agreed the rankings don't look very good, but it's not the only thing the public should consider. Greenberg of Londonderry said his school district has one of the state's lowest dropout rates, more than 85 percent of graduating seniors go to college, and students actually scored better on their standardized tests than the state's average score — it just wasn't good enough. "It's a mistake to judge a school or a school district by one test," he said. "You need to look at the totality of programs, other assessments and curriculum as a complete package." School officials can appeal their designations to the state Department of Education within the next 30 days.
Not making the grade Schools that did not make adequate yearly progress* Derry Village School: reading and math East Derry Memorial Elementary School: reading and math Grinnell Elementary School (Derry): reading and math South Range Elementary School (Derry): reading and math Londonderry Middle School: math Londonderry Senior High School: math Matthew Thornton Elementary School (Londonderry): reading and math North Londonderry Elementary School: reading and math South Londonderry Elementary School: reading and math Pelham Elementary School: reading Pelham High School: math Pelham Memorial School: math Pinkerton Academy: reading and math Salem High School: reading and math Walter Haigh School (Salem): reading Barron Elementary School (Salem): reading D.J. Bakie (Sanborn): reading and math Memorial School (Sanborn): reading and math Sanborn Regional Middle School: math Atkinson Academy (Timberlane): reading Danville Elementary School (Timberlane): reading and math Sandown North Elementary School (Timberlane): reading Timberlane Regional High School: reading and math Timberlane Regional Middle School: reading and math Golden Brook Elementary School (Windham): reading Center School (Windham): reading *Adequate yearly progress is a goal set by the state, based on how many students score at the state's recommendation on standardized tests in reading and math, as well as the school's attendance and participation rate for that test.
Schools in need of improvement* Grinnell School (Derry): math West Running Brook Middle School (Derry): reading and math Gilbert H. Hood Middle School (Derry): math Londonderry Middle School: reading and math Pelham Memorial School: reading and math Woodbury Middle School (Salem): reading and math Salem High School: math D.J. Bakie Elementary School (Sanborn): reading and math Sanborn Regional High School: reading Timberlane Regional Middle School: math Timberlane Regional High School: math *Schools are deemed in need of improvement if they don't make adequate yearly progress for two years in a row. They will not be removed from the list until they make progress for two consecutive years. Salem's Woodbury Middle School and Sanborn Regional High School are the only two schools that made progress toward being removed from that list. Schools in bold are new to the improvement list this year.
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