Saturday, November 07, 2009
The Waco Independent School District has lost its appeal of an “unacceptable” rating it received from the Texas Education Agency because too few students stuck around through graduation.
“The rating of unacceptable sticks with the district,” said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe on Friday. The TEA informed the WISD of its unacceptable standing in August.
School districts needed a completion rate of 75 percent to be “acceptable” in the state’s eyes. Districts across the state, including Waco, missed the standard based on the graduation factor.
WISD’s overall completion rate was sufficient, but the rate for the African-American subgroup was 72.5 percent.
“All groups must meet the standard,” Ratcliffe said.
Students are counted as having completed school when they finish high school course work and state exams in four years or come back in the fifth year to finish.
Marsha Ridlehuber, WISD assistant superintendent for accountability and instruction, said WISD and the TEA have a different interpretation of when about a dozen black students began ninth grade, which is the beginning of high school. That is why the district appealed the unacceptable rating.
Some of these students came to Waco from other states.
Ridlehuber said it is “unnerving” that WISD is measured in 35 areas related to students graduating and passing the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test and gets an unacceptable rating because it falls short in a single category. She said the district is working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“That’s why we’re sitting down with kids and telling them how important it is for them to get their tests passed early and out of the way. It’s important for them to get a diploma and for us to get credit for them completing school,” she said, adding, “We’ve got a lot of great things going on for kids.”
But the TEA did approve Doris Miller Elementary School’s appeal of its unacceptable rating on TAKS scores, raising its score to acceptable, the TEA’s Ratcliffe said.
The TEA rejected an appeal by Midway Independent School District. Midway High School needed an 85 percent completion rate to be a “recognized” campus, but the school’s economically disadvantaged subgroup had only an 83 percent completion rate.
MISD claims that a few students who had left school and gone on to higher education were mistakenly coded as dropouts. David Young, Midway ISD assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district is examining its practices for following students who leave the high school.
mcopeland@wacotrib.com
757-5736
Comments
By LMAO
Nov 22, 2009 5:15 PM | Link to this
Yeah, I am LMAO - not because the district is struggling...I feel for the kids and parents, but because I sat in an interview this past summer - with an arrogant high school principal who took an adversarial position with me (a job applicant!?), who blasted me during the interview, bragging that the district had appealed its "unacceptable" ruling. I informed him that if teachers did not have the support of the administrators, then you can forget instruction and that, in chaos, no learning takes place. He pointed to the AP, who said that if there was a problem in that area - he was to blame. So - the loud-mouth loat placed all the responsibility for discipline on ONE PERSON. His ridiculousness and arrogance was verified by teachers I visited with on the campus.
KARMA, Mr. Principal, don't you think? I would never work for a principal who lacks basic social skills, respect for teachers, and has a nasty disposition. Again, my heart also goes out for the teachers who work on this campus. (BTW - he wasn't the only arrogant principal that I met in the district. What's in the water over there? Good grief!)
By anon
Nov 7, 2009 11:19 PM | Link to this
No doubt parents and the homes kids find themselves in are a big, big problem. Now what? Boot them out on the streets and then lock them up in jails and prison? Other communities have addressed these problems successfully through intervention and prevention efforts.
WISD needs to have an epiphany with regards to minor stuff and get rid of their hall monitor type administrators. There are plenty of good parents who have left WISD over this issue.
By cantw82leave
Nov 7, 2009 10:19 PM | Link to this
If parents would parent, then teachers could teach.
Simple as that.
By proud parent
Nov 7, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this
While the district is certainly not perfect and has its flaws, the HUGE problem lies with the parents. If more parents in WISD would become involved and actually help their children it would make a huge difference!! The problem is the majority of these parents expect the schools to do all of the work.
By qzy
Nov 7, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this
If WISD would spend less time on drilling for TAKS and more time TEACHING THE STUDENTS, then maybe the kids will stick around to graduate! WISD has an inexcusable dropout rate and refuse to accept the true reasons behind it. They deserve the unacceptable rating.
By eye in the sky
Nov 7, 2009 9:50 AM | Link to this
Anon, you are right. If there was no state oversight, there is no telling what would be going on in Waco public schools. It would be nice if every kid had parents at home that could help them and push them to their limits. But many kids don't for various reasons. As far as Waco is concerned, I have noticed that every city that is economically strong has a good public school system. People want that for their kids. It's easy to see why Waco is at the bottom of the totem pole. The schools have been in the tanks for so long that it has trickled down to the entire city. I have noticed that people who have gone through WISD schools have a hard time reading, comprehending, spelling and just communicating period. All races of people. It's ridiculous. Then many people here have the audacity to think they are hardcore or are all that and can't even spell everyday words. The state should step in and make some changes at WISD. Otherwise, the yahoos who are supposed to be running things will keep getting paid and take another 10 years to make just subtle changes.
By meangreeneagle
Nov 7, 2009 8:46 AM | Link to this
Serves Waco ISD right. It's all about THEM and not the students.
By anon
Nov 7, 2009 8:13 AM | Link to this
BU79 is exactly right about that very revealing statement. It is so sad their hearts are no longer in the right place.
They ticket, suspend and expel over minor matters that could be remedied in more intelligent ways and then scratch their heads because nobody is at school.
When they need more money because enrollment is down and they get less state funding, they simply hold a local bond election to compensate.
Thank goodness there is this state oversight to demand they educate our population. Left up to their own devices with "local control", it would likely be much, much worse.
By BU79
Nov 7, 2009 6:04 AM | Link to this
ıThatıs why weıre sitting down with kids and telling them how important it is for them to get their tests passed early and out of the way. Itıs important for them to get a diploma and for us to get credit for them completing school,ı she said,
....for us to get credit.......
Who is more important here, the sudent or the district. She is telling the kids to work hard so the district gets credit for it. How about giving the students credit for their hard work?
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