CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Area School District has been placed on the warning list as it didn’t meet graduation standards under the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test in 2011, and the high school is classified as Corrective Action II after missing its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets.
The PSSA standard calls for a goal graduation rate of 85 percent or a target of 82.5 percent or higher but is measured by the previous year’s graduation figures. Clearfield’s graduation rate was 80.95 percent for 2010, according to Bruce Nicolls, director of curriculum and instruction.
PSSA scores serve as a report card of the school district’s performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Any school that fails to meet yearly academic targets is then required to implement an improvement plan. Students who are in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are tested in reading and math, while those in grades 5, 8 and 11 in writing and grades 4, 8 and 11 in science. Further, the standards require that at least 72 percent of the students score proficient or advanced in reading and at least 67 percent in mathematics.
Individually, the Bradford Township, Centre and Clearfield elementary schools achieved AYP standards for 2011. The Clearfield Middle School is classified as making progress after earning AYP status and moving into School Improvement I. If the middle school meets next year’s AYP targets, it would be removed from the warning list, Nicolls said.
However, Nicolls reported that the high school didn’t make AYP and was below the state’s standards for graduation as well as reading in general and in the economically disadvantaged subgroup. When asked by board President Dave Glass, he indicated the high school tends to struggle more often than others statewide.
Nicolls pointed out that the third and fifth grade students performed strongly on the math assessment, including those in the economically disadvantaged subgroup. Additionally, he said there were gains in reading in those grades even though he described their marks as “barely making it.”
According to him, elementary students are “way above” and “advanced” in mathematics, and he projected that approximately half of students would be categorized as such. But eighth graders highlighted his presentation with substantial gains in both reading and mathematics.
“They met their targets, and their targets went up. It’s a big deal. The eighth grade would be the only one to make the (new) spring 2012 targets right now,” Nicolls said.
He said that at the high school, they’re looking for ways to “raise the bar” for the students academically. He indicated that classroom diagnostic tools have been implemented at the middle and high school levels.
He said students are tested in mathematics and literature, and the more questions answered correctly, the more difficult the questions become. He said the tool allows them to determine the students’ level of proficiency as well as identify areas of improvement in these subjects.
When asked during the meeting by the press, Nicolls believed the district has identified the problem and necessary curriculum changes moving forward, which include the newly implemented Chicago Math. He said research shows that Algebra marks the “breaking point” before mathematics becomes more “abstract thinking.”
According to Nicolls, students were previously presented with problems and provided steps for their solutions. Students then memorized a series of steps, but now they want students to grasp the understanding involved.
Superintendent Dr. Thomas B. Otto added the district must determine if its teachers’ instruction aligns with the assessment by which the students are being judged. He said they could have great teachers and students, but if they’re not assessed appropriately, it appears as though they aren’t achieving.
In addition, Otto said he conducted interviews with last year’s seniors who expressed expectations aren’t the same across the board. He said the district needs to solidify its teachers so that everyone expects the same from the students.
“The bottom line is that we can’t seek improvement unless we experience some discomfort. If you look at the discomfort we’re going through, it’s because were doing things differently,” he said.
When asked about changes to the reading curriculum, Nicolls said they usually focus on one subject area at a time. But they would be looking for ways to deeper engage the students toward not only comprehending the material, but also connecting the links and making sense of it.
During the public comment session, parents and a substitute teacher disputed how the Chicago Math program was implemented at the high school. Parent Jodi Schultz currently has three children in advanced algebra and doesn’t believe the new mathematics program has been implemented as intended by the University of Chicago.
According to her, the Chicago Math Web site recommends that students are segregated based on student achievement and interest in learning. For example, students who are in the top 10 to 20 percent complete the course together.
However, she said the students currently aren’t segregated, and there are mixed grade levels and interest in learning. In addition, she said the students simply aren’t “getting it,” and for them, it’s like the teacher is instructing them in German.
“Why wouldn’t you segregate them? Why wouldn’t you want the highest-performing students together to push each other? Instead, you have a ninth grader with a twelfth grader, and that would be fine if the twelfth grader wanted to learn, too,” she said. “You think this is going to change assessment scores. It’s not.”
Parent Bonnie Reinke echoed the same frustrations with her daughter who was enrolled in accelerated geometry. She contacted the school Friday at which time she learned both algebra courses and geometry weren’t any longer “accelerated.”
She said her daughter’s schedule identified her mathematics course as “accelerated geometry,” and it was also listed as such on the district’s Web site. She told the board she hadn’t received any notification of the change if one was made. She asked if the change was made and if so, who made the decision and why parents weren’t notified.
Like the other parents, she didn’t believe the Chicago Math program was well implemented. She said teachers allowed minimal time for instruction, homework wasn’t checked and time wasn’t appropriated for reviewing test results.
During class time, students formed groups and are assigned problems. She said many students didn’t comprehend them while working with their groups and likely went home without any understanding.
“What’s the use of doing homework if you don’t even know if you’re doing it right?” Reinke asked. “The students are still getting grades, and they’re still going in the grade book.
“I’m hearing it’ll spiral back, and the students will get it. But even if they do get it in March, their first and second quarter grades just don’t magically disappear.”
Otto said district and high school administrators had conversed with parents, but he wasn’t aware of any problems this specific. He said most higher-achieving students “know the game and play it well,” and many even want the teacher “to get out of their way.”
Nicolls explained that the high school has eliminated the general education courses after looking forward at post-secondary expectations. He said even technical and trade schools require college level mathematics and literacy, and students are now either college preparatory or honors/advanced placement.
Board member Susan Mikesell related to the confusion over the implementation of Chicago Math. She said her daughter was currently taking “honors algebra.” She asked, “But is that Algebra I or Algebra 2? Which is it?”
Mikesell said if the district anticipated discomfort from the parents and students, why weren’t there any preparations prior to the school year. Instead, she said they’re discussing it four weeks in and setting up meetings for October when it should’ve been issued with the students’ schedules back in August.
She concurred that homework wasn’t being checked, so students weren’t even sure if it were correct. She said it wasn’t any way to motivate the students for the remainder of the year.
“And, there are plenty of parents that are just as mad as I am,” Mikesell told the board. Nicolls said the administrators scheduled two meetings about the new curriculum, and they’d be open to middle and high school parents.
Substitute teacher Beth Shaffer suggested that they include the students and allow them to openly discuss their feelings with them. She said her daughter has performed well in school, but as a ninth grader, she’s been frustrated with the Chicago Math.
Shaffer said her daughter has been trying to help the students who are struggling, and it’s adding to her frustration. She said since her daughter was in kindergarten, she’s never asked her to contact the school.
“But this time, she did,” Shaffer said. “The mission of this district is to develop life-long learners. This isn’t about grades, it’s about learning.
“Self-motivated learners are the ones going for help because they’re not getting it. The kids who don’t want to learn are asking them for answers and filling them in. It’s going to be evidenced on their tests.”
Glass said the path ahead would be uncomfortable, and the curriculum was going to be harder. At the same time, he said they couldn’t remain on the same path as before, and it wasn’t a project the district would be giving up on.