tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882083298533747439.post7335783015300814430..comments2019-12-31T11:45:30.066-06:00Comments on Carbondale Bytelife: Free Tutoring For StudentsParentheticushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04397250058745076490noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882083298533747439.post-39003230503776930682008-01-25T09:30:00.000-06:002008-01-25T09:30:00.000-06:00One of the things that affects ALL school scores, ...One of the things that affects ALL school scores, not only d95 is that special needs students are put into the overall average, and according to NCLB (to my understanding), they must meet the same criteria as the general population. That really can knock down a school's overall rating. D95 also has a higher number of low-income AND minority students than other districts in the area, and statistically, minorities and low-income students get lower test scores. <BR/><BR/>While I personally think NCLB is a crock, D95, with their unique demographics has made tremendous strides in keeping up with the ever increasing demands of NCLB.<BR/><BR/>As Scott M said, I would suggest contacting Ms. Meredith if anyone has any specific questions about the district and nclb.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882083298533747439.post-46118635687371780002008-01-24T21:53:00.000-06:002008-01-24T21:53:00.000-06:00I'm not an expert on No Child, but I sit on a pare...I'm not an expert on No Child, but I sit on a parental advisory committee and have heard a lot of discussion of it. To be clear, I don't work for the district in any capacity; I'm a parent volunteer on some boards so that I can give input on my kid's school. Nothing more, nothing less. <BR/><BR/>My understanding about the subgroups is that for a school to pass, you do have to meet certain standards in all of those groups. The idea, I imagine, is to prevent schools from covering up failures with the hard to teach kids by pushing more effort into the groups that might be easier to raise test scores.<BR/><BR/>To my understanding, D95's "failure" is not because of one subgroup per se, but from one or more. The district office makes all of that information available to anyone who calls. Ms. Meredith would probably explain the law to anyone who wanted to know as well.<BR/><BR/>I have opinions on the D95 stuff that gets floated here, but I'd just encourage everyone who is interested to talk to the principal at their child's school. They have a School Improvement Plan with specifics on their own NCLB scores, as well as plans for what to do about scores that don't meet the mandated standards. If you need more information than that, contact the central office on Giant City Road. Some of this information -- without the school's context -- is also available on-line from the state of Illinois. I don't have the link handy, but you could probably get it from Google or the district website.<BR/><BR/>Also, the district *will* be flexible on the tutoring deadline. There are a lot of options for parents to obtain tutoring, including on-line and local, so anyone who is eligible may have questions. Contact the district if you do; they're mandated by law to help you get this service and seem willing in my opinon to work with parents. But they can't tell you who is "best" or who to go with because that is explicitly prohibited.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com