Ten Arkansas schools set to be removed from academic distress status

[bleudog]

CLICK HERE

[MikeDiesel™]

Those of us up here in Blytheville are pretty pumped!

[sevenof400]

The recommendations — which are are subject to Arkansas Board of Education approval on Feb. 9 — signify that more than 49.5 percent of students at each school and in the one district scored at proficient or advanced levels on state math and literacy exams over a three-year period.

What a sad commentary on our standards - mainly how sadly low they are. 

Having said that, I'll always salute improvement in our schools but at the same time, hope we'd set some much higher standards - and expectations of our students.

[Missco]

Schools are not all educating kids from the same type of environment.  Their are 7 high schools in my area. Some of them have very very high test scores and some don't. The schools are all pretty equal. It is just the ones with low test scores have more obstacles  to overcome.  Congrat's to the school district getting off the lists.

[Wonderdog]

I find this discussion interesting given that it has been on my mind a lot lately. Parenting, in my opinion, plays a role in how serious a student takes their education. Basically, parents who place little to no value in education at home, will often yield children who place little to no value in taking school seriously.

A separate obstacle; parents who can not control their children's behavior also spell a recipe for underachievement. Some* students cause trouble in the learning environment. When this happens, appropriate action usually takes place by those who are qualified to make those decisions. However, when said student is not concerned with mom and dads reaction (if both are in the picture) there is a problem at home that school officials will be unable to fix alone.

Finally, you have special education. While these students are judged based off of "normal standards" they are not "normal" students. I say this because in my opinion, student growth should be the judgement scale instead of student standard in these situations. This skewers test scores severely in some schools. This also places unreachable expectations on the teachers and students involved.

*a small portion

[sevenof400]

I find this discussion interesting given that it has been on my mind a lot lately. Parenting, in my opinion, plays a role in how serious a student takes their education. Basically, parents who place little to no value in education at home, will often yield children who place little to no value in taking school seriously.

A separate obstacle; parents who can not control their children's behavior also spell a recipe for underachievement. Some* students cause trouble in the learning environment. When this happens, appropriate action usually takes place by those who are qualified to make those decisions. However, when said student is not concerned with mom and dads reaction (if both are in the picture) there is a problem at home that school officials will be unable to fix alone. 

Absolutely agree with this...the problem comes when these kids disrupt the classroom.  Teacher calls home in an effort to deal with the problem, parents (if they even respond to phone calls or texts) place blame on other students, or teacher, or any place else but where it belongs (with the parents).

You'll see administration do everything under the sun to placate these parents, and take far too long in removing problem children from the classroom.  For administration, it's all about the money.  They don't want to place more kids in an alternative education setting lest these kids drop out (and cost the district state funding).  Administration wants kids in the classroom with no regard on the destruction problem children wreak in a classroom.  In too many cases, the educational experience of 20-something other kids is less valued because administration knows those kids aren't going anywhere (therefore no risk of losing the state funding for them).  A feckless administration is the primary problem in education today.  I am longing for the day our administration makes the mom or dad of one these kids observe their kids' behavior in the classroom, then holds the parent responsible for the actions of their children.

Finally, you have special education. While these students are judged based off of "normal standards" they are not "normal" students. I say this because in my opinion, student growth should be the judgement scale instead of student standard in these situations. This skewers test scores severely in some schools. This also places unreachable expectations on the teachers and students involved.

*a small portion

Special education in every school is a model doomed to failure.  Even the best schools do not have the resources to adequately deal with these kids - how in the world can there be an expectation that every public school must accommodate any child's needs when acquiring the services needed to serve some of these kids are way beyond reach cost-wise and compromise the education of the remainder of the student body? 

Clearly, a different approach is needed but do not look toward the education sector for evidence they will try new approaches because they won't if it cause them to lose even a single dollar of state funding.

[Lions84]

Good to hear they all got off the list.  Best of luck to the rest on that list.