55
Jersey school districts flunk 'No Child'
standards
Saturday, October 22, 2005 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • STAR-LEDGER STAFF
More than 50 school districts were cited
by the state yesterday as being "in need of improvement"
under the No Child Left Behind act, the latest unflattering
list brought on by the federal law.
The 55 districts -- more than double last
year's total -- will mostly have to draw up and follow
improvement plans. But for the 21 on the list for the second
year in a row, sanctions could be more severe next year if
they don't improve.
Just being named to the list is a black
eye for districts.
"From my perspective, these are all
districts where there is some group where students are not
achieving where we want them to," said Lucille Davy, the
state's acting education commissioner. "My focus is not
what's wrong with the law, but with what we can do to make
sure we can help these schools."
Included on yesterday's list were many of
the state's neediest districts, including Newark, Paterson
and Jersey City. Eight charter schools were included, as
those independently run schools are considered
self-contained districts.
But also included were suburban districts
like Edison, North Brunswick and Hunterdon Central that are
not used to being labeled underachieving. The designation
for Hunterdon Central was a second slap; the single-school
district was on the list released this summer of individual
schools not meeting federal requirements.
Like many districts, Hunterdon Central's
shortcoming was in its special education test scores, which
must meet the same averages as regular education scores,
Superintendent Lee Seitz said.
Seitz said the school is not skirting its
responsibilities. Indeed, he said, the federal law has
likely helped to raise special education scores. Had one or
two more special education students passed statewide tests,
the district would not have been cited, he said.
Though still falling short, the
district's performance should not get a black mark, Seitz
said.
"This certainly tarnishes the image of
Central," he said. "The teachers, students and staff do a
marvelous job...By every measure, we're a high-performing
school.
Signed by President Bush in 2002, the No
Child Left Behind act has brought sweeping changes to the
nation's schools, highlighting the achievement of
historically low-performing groups like special education
and minority students.
But the law has been criticized as too
strict in its demands that all students hit the same levels
at the same pace.
Under the law, the same standards apply
to districts as they do to individual schools: average test
scores for every category of student -- broken down by race,
income, regular or special education -- must meet certain
levels each year.
In New Jersey last year, 75 percent of
third- and fourth-graders in each group needed to pass the
language arts section of the state's standardized tests,
while 62 percent had to pass the math section. For
eighth-graders, 66 percent of students had to pass the
language arts section while 49 percent had to pass math. By
2013, all students will be required to pass.
If any one group falls short in a given
year, the district is classified as failing to meet
standards and subject to sanctions. The initial sanctions
are mild. In the first two years, districts have to develop
improvement plans and earmark 10 percent of their federal
funding to teacher development. Parents also must be
notified of the district's standing. Districts can get off
the list by meeting the standards two years in a
row.
The federal sanctions only get tougher
for those districts and schools that continue to miss the
federal marks. Districts cited for a third consecutive year
could lose federal funds, or be required to restructure
their management.
Some districts that continue to fail
could be abolished altogether, though officials said no
state has yet imposed such a death penalty and that
guidelines are starting to be developed.
New Jersey's history of imposing even
mild sanctions has been mixed.
For individual schools "in need of
improvement," students must be given the opportunity to
transfer to another school or get extra tutoring, paid for
with federal aid. But many districts are already overcrowded
and few slots are available for transfers and the extra
tutoring is only now beginning to be provided.
A federal audit this summer criticized
the way New Jersey school districts notify parents of their
options.
According to the report by the Inspector
General's office of the U.S. Department of Education, five
districts -- including Newark, Plainfield and Camden -- had
not made sure parents knew that their children could
transfer or get tutoring. It also found the state was lax in
monitoring districts' efforts.
"It's been a learning curve for all of
us," said state Deputy Education Commissioner Isaac Bryant.
"But I think it's more of a tinkering in what needs to be
done. We're getting on top of it as a state."
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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