Fort Worth-area schools’ progress mixed, ratings show

Fort Worth-area schools’ progress mixed, ratings show

By DIANE SMITH and EVA-MARIE [email protected]

Coffee chats with parents, partnerships with businesses and churches
and programs to attract Hispanic role models are some of the small
things that aided Arlington Thornton Elementary School’s two-year
climb from “academically unacceptable” to “recognized.”

“Before you can get a kid to listen to you, you’ve got to prove you
care about them,” Principal David Gutierrez said Friday. “Then, when
it’s time to sit down and learn, they’ll focus on the material
easier.”

Thornton was among at least 80 Tarrant County schools that saw marked
improvements in their campus accountability ratings, the Texas
Education Agency said Friday.

For others, the ratings point to areas in need of improvement. Ten
Fort Worth schools and two Arlington junior high schools are rated
“academically unacceptable” this year, the lowest rating on the
state’s four-tier scale. This is the fourth consecutive year that
Polytechnic High School in southeast Fort Worth has been rated
“academically unacceptable.”

The ratings are based on schools’ performance on the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. On Friday, the state also released
dropout and completion rates for districts and schools with students
in grades 7 through 12.

The graduation rate for the Class of 2007 was 78 percent. Between
ninth and 12th grades, 11.4 percent of the class dropped out,
according to the TEA.

Fort Worth district

Overall results were mixed for Fort Worth schools, which are working
to make academic gains even as the state’s minimum passing standards
for “acceptable” ratings increased.

Tanglewood and Waverly Park elementary schools were rated
“exemplary.” The number of “recognized” campuses increased to 32 from
16 last year. I.M. Terrell Elementary School made a dramatic
improvement from “academically unacceptable” to “recognized.” Two
years ago the school was “exemplary.”

Michael Sorum, chief academic officer for Fort Worth schools, said
Terrell had a very focused instructional agenda aimed at improving the
school. Teachers worked one-on-one with students and developed
individualized plans.

Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School went from “unacceptable” last year to
“academically acceptable.”

“We know the schools worked very, very hard, and it paid off,” Sorum
said of Diamond Hill and Terrell.

At Poly and four other “unacceptable” Fort Worth high schools,
performance on the math TAKS fell below the state passing rate. The
other “unacceptable” high schools are South Hills, Dunbar, Eastern
Hills and O.D. Wyatt. Dunbar, South Hills and Eastern Hills were
“unacceptable” for a second year.

Meadowbrook and Morningside middle schools also received the
state’s lowest rating. Neither school met the passing standard for
science, which is tested in the eighth grade. This was the first year
eighth-grade science passing rates were included in the accountability
ratings.

Mitchell Boulevard, Sunrise-McMillian and Briscoe elementary schools
in Fort Worth were “academically unacceptable.”

Arlington and Mansfield districts

Arlington had two “academically unacceptable” schools — Carter and
Hutcheson junior highs. Both dropped in ratings because of the science
test.

The district went from one “exemplary” campus in 2007 to three —
Ashworth, Ditto and Little elementaries. Overall, Arlington now has 15
recognized campuses, up from 14.

East Arlington campuses made a good showing in the ratings. Five of
Arlington’s 15 “recognized” elementaries are in east Arlington or
west Grand Prairie: Blanton, Hale, Knox, Farrell and Thornton. One
other elementary in a low-income area, Webb, was also “recognized.”

Arlington’s Newcomer Center for students new to the country dropped
from acceptable to unacceptable. It was the first time the campus had
enough students taking the TAKS to affect its rating, a district
spokeswoman said. Only 10 percent of those who took the test at the
campus passed, TEA reports show.

Eight Mansfield school district elementary campuses were “exemplary.”
They include Elizabeth Smith, which was “acceptable” last year

Mansfield’s Brooks Wester Middle School dropped from “recognized”
to “acceptable.”

Northeast Tarrant County districts

The Grapevine-Colleyville, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Keller and Northwest
school districts each gained “recognized” status. Superintendents
credited hard work from teachers and students, and curriculum changes.

“We have had an instructional improvement plan for the last five
years that has a very specific curriculum, and everyone at the campus
and central office levels has worked hard to execute the plan,” said
Gene Buinger, H-E-B superintendent.

Eight H-E-B schools were “exemplary,” up from two last year, and 15
were “recognized.” Its two senior highs, L.D. Bell and Trinity,
improved from “acceptable” to “recognized.”

Nine Grapevine-Colleyville schools are “exemplary.” The Keller school
district now has 13 top-rated campuses. Keller High School improved
from “acceptable” to “recognized.”

In the Birdville school district, Green Valley Elementary earned the
top rating for the 14th consecutive year. The district had six
“exemplary” schools, twice as many as last year.

Eagle Ridge Elementary in the Keller district and Granger Elementary
in the Northwest district — new campuses being evaluated for the
first time — were “exemplary.”

No Northeast Tarrant County area schools were “academically
unacceptable.”

The Carroll school district remained “exemplary,” and 10 campuses
earned the top rating. But the state did not rate Old Union Elementary
School because of “data integrity issues.” The campus was the subject
of a state investigation into problems involving special education.

Other area districts

Five Eagle Mountain-Saginaw schools improved: Highland and Creekview
middle schools moved up to “recognized,” while Gilliland and Elkins
elementaries were also “recognized.” Greenfield Elementary School
moved up to “exemplary” from “recognized.”

Crowley’s H.F. Stevens Middle School dropped from “acceptable” to
“academically unacceptable.” Dallas Park Elementary and Sidney H.
Poynter dropped to “academically acceptable” from “recognized.”

Everman set a record, with three “recognized” campuses.

Charter schools

Richard Milburn and Theresa B. Lee academies went to “acceptable”
after two consecutive years of “unacceptable.”

Armard Anderson, director of Milburn’s Fort Worth school, said his
teachers worked hard to provide extra help to students through efforts
like Saturday tutoring and mandated TAKS study classes for some
juniors and seniors. The school had been under a state-appointed
monitor because of low ratings.

“We had a really good staff,” Anderson said. “They really honed in on
where the students needed help and where they were weak at,
particularly in math and science. Next year, we’ll move that forward
when we open our science lab so they can get a real hands-on
experience.”

Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington was “unacceptable” for the third
year in a row. The school, which caters to deaf students and those
with deaf relatives, posted improvements in math. But students
struggled in other areas.

Westlake Academy, the state’s only municipally operated charter
school, was “exemplary,” up from “recognized” last year.

Staff writers Jessamy Brown, Mark Agee, Shirley Jinkins and John
Moritz contributed to this report.

——————————————————————————–

About the ratings What are they used for?

They are designed to help parents and educators measure school
districts’ and campuses’ performance. The ratings are based on
complicated formulas that take into account TAKS passing rates for
student subgroups, such as low-income and special education students,
and graduation rates.

Do the TEA ratings differ from the federal Adequate Yearly Progress
ratings?

Yes. Those ratings are part of the No Child Left Behind Act, which
intends for all students to be proficient in English and math by the
2013-14 school year. AYP evaluations are based largely on TAKS scores
in reading and math, graduation rates in high schools and attendance
rates in elementary and middle schools.

Are there sanctions for poorly performing schools?

Schools that are “academically unacceptable” for three years in a row
must replace their staff. A new principal may be sent in, teachers may
have to reapply for their positions and new teaching techniques may be
implemented. The state education commissioner may also appoint a
monitor, conservator, management team or board of managers to oversee
improvement plans. In the fourth year, the education commissioner
reviews the progress and can order a school closed if it hasn’t
improved. If the school still hasn’t improved by year five, it must,
by law, be closed.

— Diane Smith and Jessamy Brown

Source: Texas Education Agency

DIANE SMITH, 817-390-7675 EVA-MARIE AYALA, 817-548-5534

Sources: http://www.star-telegram.com/northeast/story/802716.html

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