[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...72306961555.txt

MCAS releases performance report

Report published between Feb. 22 and 25
By Deborah Sederberg
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 4:18 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Several agenda items from the meeting of the Michigan City Area Schools Board’s Tuesday meeting were canceled because presenters worried about the snow.

But Jan Radford, director of curriculum and instruction, was there to talk about the Annual Performance Report. State law requires the school corporation to publish the report between Feb. 9 and 25.

This year’s report will be published as a legal ad between Feb. 22 and 25 in The News-Dispatch and the Herald-Argus.

Radford said The News-Dispatch will charge $1,500 and the Herald-Argus will charge $1,700.

The report, which covers the 2008-2009 school year, is not new news. “These are items I have brought to you before,” she told the board.

It includes information such as ISTEP scores, graduation rates and other statistics, such as information on what percentage of students are in special education and what percentage are eligible for free lunch.

At MCAS, 22 percent of youngsters are in special education while the state average is 17.5 percent; MCAS matches the state’s rate for gifted and talented students at 14 percent.

At MCAS, 65 percent of students are eligible for free lunch while the state average is 44 percent.

Both Radford and board member Jeff Jones noted that the Department of Education pulls the numbers for the report, and sometimes there have been inaccuracies.

This year, for example, the minimum teacher salary range is lower than the level in 2007-08, which is lower than the level in 2006-07.

Several board members said they know that can’t be correct because teachers get cost of living raises.

Member Beryle Burgwald said it nonetheless important to pay attention to the numbers in the report. “ I agree with you that figures are important, but they must be accurate,” Jones said.

The report now is on the DOE Web site.

[Ang]

At MCAS, 65 percent of students are eligible for free lunch while the state average is 44 percent.

I remember a HUGE debate over at the N-D website a few years ago about poverty levels in MC (actually, that debate is one of the precipitating factors for the creation of CBTL). People were arguing back and forth over whether or not the figures were accurate. In reading the above statement, it seems to me that MC has a pretty high poverty level with MCAS being 21% higher than the state average for free and reduced lunches, not to mention that over half the students within MCAS qualify.

[eric.hanke]

The focus on free/reduced lunch percentages and the number of students who are classified as special education is crap. Why is it the MCAS is able to use the excuse that students who qualify for lunch services are stupid. That's what they are saying. Myself being unemployed, my children are included in that classification and I am insulted at the implication of the MCAS using, and the News Dispatch adding validity through publication of that statement!!!!

Even though the report focuses on the 08-09 school year the report for this year would look exactly the same for 06-07, 07-08 & 09-10. Same ole' same ole'.

The report, which is not new news to anyone educated in the workings of the MCAS is that we (parents included) our failing our children. The MCAS' efforts, or lack thereof, are not helping the problem.

How long are we going to allow the MCAS to use excuses? We need a new school board and completely new administration. Let's flush the MCAS toilet and bring in a new regime.

[Southsider2k12]

Part of what you are saying is true, and part of it isn't.

MCAS isn't using the excuse that kids poor are stupid as an excuse. In reality, the most true indicator for how kids will perform is their socioeconomic backgrounds. Poorer kids do much worse in school than do rich kids. That is actually more accurate than any race or sex based comparisons. It is a proven fact all over the country. Mostly because people who are in the poorest classes, are usually there for a reason. That reason is usually they weren't well educated themselves, so they pass on bad educational habits and beliefs to their kids. The people in those classes who are working, usually are putting in so many hours at their minimum wage jobs to put food on the table that they are unable to participate in their kids early education, and they come to school unready to learn what it is assumed that they should know when they get to kindergarten.

The special education thing I haven't quite figured out yet. I don't know if we call more kids special-ed today because we are better at identifying them, or if it is because it is easier to tag kids, than to assign them the extra precious resources to push them forward in today's result dependent educational system. I am guessing it is some of both, but again, this isn't just an MC thing. It happens all over the place.

Honestly in these cases, there is plenty of blame to go around, starting at the parental levels, through the local educational system, and going all of the way up to Washington.