U-235 schools meet federal NCLB progress demands

UNIONTOWN -- USD 235 schools are hitting the mark this year.

While many Kansas school districts failed to meet student performance goals on standardized tests this year, two Uniontown schools met adequate yearly progress this year, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act implemented in 2002, USD 235 Superintendent Randy Rockhold said. School districts across the state received results last week from tests taken by students during the 2005-06 school year.

USD 235 operates one elementary school and one junior-senior high school.

According to an Associated Press story last week, the number of schools failing to meet AYP goals is expected to keep rising, as student performance goals keep rising due to NCLB requirements. About 86 percent of Kansas schools -- higher than the national average of 71 percent -- met goals for math and reading scores this year, compared with 92 percent last year, the story said.

Rockhold said school districts should continue to help students reach their potential as individuals.

"The theory of NCLB is great, but the reality is we have a task to enable all students to become the best they can, individually," Rockhold said in a statement. "We embrace this task and do everything possible to enable continual improvement and ensure all students reach their potential. At the same time, we must all understand there are many factors that result in a reality that all students will not perform at the same level of mastery."

Rockhold added that because of this reality, not all students will identify themselves as proficient on standardized tests, which, in his opinion, should not be the goal for school districts statewide.

"The goal should be continual improvement and continual opportunities for individual students to improve themselves," he said. "This is what we do every day at USD 235. We provide learning opportunities that enable students to continually improve and teach their potential."

Over the last two years, the Kansas Legislature has approved more than $800 million in spending on K-12 education, most of which is spent on students who come from low-income families, students who are in danger of failing at least one academic subject, and students who receive free lunches. Many of those students historically receive lower scores on standardized tests.

That new money was much needed to help USD 235 and its high concentration of at-risk students, Rockhold said. U-235 teachers and administrators are working hard to help meet the needs of those students, he said.

"The at-risk money was a necessity, and it is being used to provide additional learning opportunities for the students that have needs," Rockhold said. "Additional support and additional instructional initiatives make a huge difference and enable continual improvement. The legislation targeted needy students, and this was a wise decision. It is also a decision that school districts have been advocating for a long time. We have always placed a top priority on providing opportunities for students who have the most need."

USD 235 was one of 264 school districts to meet AYP goals last year. West Bourbon Elementary School and Uniontown Junior Senior High School were two of 1,414 schools statewide to meet those goals, while 36 districts and 195 schools did not. Those numbers decreased from the previous year, when 281 districts and 1,394 schools made the grade, the AP story said. There are 300 school districts across the state.

AYP target goals continue to increase and become more difficult each year, and tests also have changed since the 2004-05 school year when more grade levels were being tested. The national goal for NCLB is to have 100 percent of K-12 students proficient in reading and math by 2010.

Rockhold said parents of USD 235 students are pleased with the job district staff members are doing to keep those students excelling in academics, and meeting statewide performance goals.

"The key to student improvement is quality instruction, student commitment, and parental support. The new money has given us opportunity to expand the instructional opportunities we provide, engage students, and our parents are very supportive of the efforts we make to serve children," he said.