UPDATED: Randall Elementary Needs to Meet Federal Benchmarks

Correction: The article stated Spangler Elementary had entered its first year of 'program improvement,' which is not true. The school missed its federal targets in English language arts by less than one percent. Only after two consecutive years of missing targets would Spangler be subject to 'program improvement.'

Randall Elementary met all its federal targets last year for math and English language arts. But this year, with nearly 30 criteria and higher targets, the school did not meet its Adequate Yearly Progress goals.

As the Title I school enters its fifth year of "program improvement," it will have one more year to reach its AYP targets in 2012, defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

If not, the school in year six, according to law, would be restructured.

At the school board meeting last Tuesday, Michelle Dimas, MUSD's assistant superintendent of educational services emphasized that there would be no year six.

Nearly all subgroups at Randall—Asian, Filipino, Latino, English language learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students—did not meet AYP criteria for English language arts this year.

Only one group, Latino students, did not satisfy criteria for math.

Students with disabilities satisfied both English language arts and math criteria alternatively, through "Safe Harbor," which means enough students tested have moved from below proficiency to proficiency.

When Randall Elementary entered 'program improvement' in 2006, Latino students did not make criteria in English language arts and math. Since then, "we over-doubled the percentage of [Latino] students which are proficient," Dimas told the school board.

Randall's API also rose 62 points during that time, from 718 to 780.

"You don't take a system and throw it away," she said. "How do we revise what we're doing to make it more effective?"

She asked the board to support her in bringing on board an assistant principal at Randall Elementary to support Principal Kristian Lecours, who assumed his role in 2008 (the school entered program improvement in 2006).

Last year, the assistant principal was removed, and Lecours "lost a lot of his classroom visitation time," she said. He's key to helping teachers with the day-to-day instruction, she said.

"He knows what the teachers need to know … [to] help them to get it right," she said, adding that with the department of education services, "the most important thing is Kristian."

Board members echoed their support at the meeting.

Lecours addressed the board from the podium. "It's awesome to know that we have the support of the board to get out of 'program improvement,'" he said.

Vice President Dan Bobay said, "We need to give you the resources you need to be successful. So this is appropriate."

Superintendent Cary Matsuoka said, "We're going to move as quickly as we can."

Spangler Elementary narrowly fell short of its AYP criteria for English language arts this year by less than one percent.

Principal Normajean McClellan said she was confident there would not be a second year, in which the school would be under 'program improvement.'

Only Title I schools are subject to program improvement under No Child Left Behind.

To see the school district's powerpoint presentation download the board packet.