[billiefan2000]

52 schools labeled low acheiving
By Michaela Saunders


The Nebraska Department of Education this morning released a list of 52 schools that have been designated as the state's "persistently lowest achieving."

The list includes 28 high schools, eight middle schools and 18 elementary schools. Two of those are combination schools, with both middle and high school students.

Included on the list are five Omaha area high schools -- Omaha Central, Omaha North, Omaha South, Omaha Benson and Bellevue East.

The designation could mean federal grant funding for the schools if their districts agree to staffing and other changes at each school building.



To see the full list, go to the persistently low achieving schools.

http://www.nde.state.ne.us/ARRA/PDF/PLAS.pdf (broken link)

52 schools labeled low acheiving - Omaha.com

[saltine]

"federal grant funding for the schools ".. What a great new idea,,, throw money at it!

[InTheO!]

Is this by test scores or graduation rates, compared to national levels? When you compare all the schools in the state your going to have half that are on the bottom side no matter what. I don't think more funding is needed, those schools have 10x the amount of serivices and classes that I ever had in high school. Maybe they are too big for their own good?

[billiefan2000]

Omaha Benson and Omaha central IMo is doing bad cause they have a trauncy problem both schools refuse to address

Omaha North and Omaha South I know are trying and Omaha North isnt as bad from what I read as Benson or Central or South



why Bellevue East would have problems. maybe they are in the not as bad as others camp as Omaha North is.

[Omaha Rocks]

Averages are dangerous. They only tell a small fraction of the whole picture.

A school such as Omaha South will inevitably do poorly in some areas, simply because there are so many Hispanic students for whom English is not their first language. The kids may be absolutely brilliant, but they will inevitably do poorly in the reading & writing portions of the tests.

Averages also fail to honestly address issues they face at North High. That school is full of extremely high achievers, and a lot of low-enders, with not many students in between. And regardless of what a school does, if a majority of its students come from low-income, single parent homes where education is not valued, the school's average test scores will reflect that.


The issue goes far deeper than anything that will be resolved by just throwing more money at it.

[star_gazer]

I don't think it's any secret that Bellevue East has most of Bellevue's poorer 'old town'/'airman' demographic... while West has the kids from the new, more affluent/'officer' subdivisions.

[laserdisque]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

A school such as Omaha South will inevitably do poorly in some areas, simply because there are so many Hispanic students for whom English is not their first language. The kids may be absolutely brilliant, but they will inevitably do poorly in the reading & writing portions of the tests.
.

The math questions on these tests also require reading skills. They don't just show an equation to solve, many have "story problem" components.

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by laserdisque

The math questions on these test also require reading skills. They don't just show an equation to solve, but many have "story problem" components.

Exactly. I used to get really PO'd when I'd hear that standardize tests are rather "discriminatory," because I absolutely hate the whole victim mentality. However, there are students that are at a distinct disadvantage when taking some tests.

It is also very good to know that school tests are NOT the measure of success in the real world.