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A third of Winona’s public schools failed to meet federal performance requirements this year, a percentage on par with other districts in the region but better than the state as a whole, according to results publicly released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Education

Winona Middle School, the Winona Area Learning Center and Jefferson Elementary did not make Adequate Yearly Progress, the achievement standard schools are held to by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Schools must meet attendance, graduation and testing standards for all students as well as in subgroups, such as minority or special education students, to make AYP. Schools that consistently don’t can be forced to offer tutoring or allow parents to transfer their children to another school.

Statewide, 937 of 1,920 schools failed to make AYP, an increase from 727 last year. Officials attributed the number of schools not making AYP to increased federal standards and only slight improvements in proficiency scores on standardized tests. MDE Commissioner Alice Seagren said schools must continue to focus on core subjects.

“We are really going to lose ground here in Minnesota if we don’t take this more seriously and support our children the best we can,” Seagren said.

In Winona, WMS has consistently not met federal standards in multiple categories. New district curriculum director Jenny Bushman said that could be in part because of the way students are scored in elementary school compared with middle school.

“You can’t look at it say they are fine and then they hit the middle school and then they are not,” Bushman said.

At the middle school, black students, special education students and those who receive free and reduced lunches did not meet standards in reading or in math. The ALC failed to meet attendance requirements — a new warning sign for the school — and one Bushman could not explain.

“I’m not sure what happened there,” she said.

Bushman said that district-wide curriculum audits, new technology, a new fifth-grade math curriculum and other tools will be used for improvements. She also lauded the high school, which made AYP after failing to in 2007.

Despite the room for growth, Bushman pointed to the reduction in categories of district-wide underperforming groups from seven to four as an indication that improvements are already being made.

“That shows me people are working,” she said. “I see that people are looking at this and see we need to make some changes.”

Area and charter schools

Local districts and charter schools showed mixed results for AYP.

Lewiston-Altura met federal standards in every category, an improvement over 2007, when its secondary school’s special education program underperformed. Superintendent Bruce Montplaisir said Lewiston-Altura’s special education program is so small that its scores fluctuate year to year.

St. Charles Superintendent Tom Ames said his schools faced a similar situation. St. Charles Elementary did not make AYP in six categories. Ames said that AYP can be a valid indicator, but that it doesn’t tell the whole story.

“The state has every right to mandate certain standards, and we need to address them, but we aren’t limited to those standards,” Ames said. “For example, there’s no AYP measurement for music education.”

Houston Public Schools Superintendent Kim Ross also said the scores created an incomplete picture. Houston schools made AYP in all categories except for math proficiency in special education at its Minnesota Virtual Academy and reading proficiency at Houston Elementary School’s special education program.

“What these test results don’t talk about are what progress students are making,” Ross said. “It only talks about the school in a certain measure. Does it adequately reflect progress? I don’t think that it does.”

Rushford-Peterson’s schools each met AYP, but the district as a whole did not, failing only to meet standards in special education classes for math. Superintendent Chuck Ehler said this year’s results were encouraging and that the district is working to improve.

“We feel very fortunate and blessed that we have the foundation in place to move forward with academic success with our students,” Ehler said. “Next year will be a new challenge.”

Bluffview Montessori, Ridgeway Community School and the Dakota Area Community Charter School all made AYP. Riverway Learning Community’s math scores caused it to miss AYP. It was the only area charter school to do so.

For more on AYP results, check reporter Nolan Rosenkrans’ blog “Open Enrollment” this week.

Nolan Rosenkrans may be reached at 507-453-3519 or by e-mail at nolan.rosenkrans@lee.net.

http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2008/08/06/news/00lead.txt