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Pontiac special ed students not meeting federal standards
By Tony Sapochetti
tsapochetti@pantagraph.com
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PONTIAC — Special-education students in the Pontiac grade school district have improved still are not making the academic progress required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, even after making a federally allowed adjustment to scores.

As a group, students in Pontiac Junior High School who have individualized education plans did not meet math score standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test.

Washington Elementary School Principal Kel Krenz said standardized-test scores have been improving anywhere from 6 to 17 percentage points in subjects, however.

“There are increases taking place and there are strategies that the district using to meet those standards,” Krenz said.

To meet the federal standard for adequate yearly progress, at least 47.5 percent of the students in that group had to meet or exceed standards on the test.

Only about 40 percent of sixth- and seventh-graders and about 20 percent of eighth-graders met or exceeded math standards.

All other students in other grade levels and subjects in the district have the testing standards.

Under the 2001 federal law, if one subgroup in a school or district fails to meet the adequate yearly progress standard, then the entire school or district fails. A subgroup is defined as 45 or more students in a school or the district as a whole in a specific category such as race, economic status or special education.

Krenz noted the state tests students based on their grade level and does not take into account whether they are in special education.

The district has 78 special education students.

“We may have an IEP student in sixth grade who has a reading level of second or third grade, yet they are required to take the sixth-grade ISAT at a sixth-grade reading level,” he said.

Junior high school Principal Judy Donze said that standard is not appropriate for those students.

“It’s just not fair to the students and it does not show us what they are really capable of,” she said. “We are not testing them on materials that they are capable of working on.”

Schools that are not making adequate yearly progress due to special education can add 14 percentage points to the meeting or exceeding standards score, but that still isn’t enough to make Pontiac Junior High School students achieve this goal.

Krenz said the district is working on several initiatives to raise scores, including working with a regional office consultant, intensified teacher development opportunities for all staff and early start summer programs.

The junior high school is on the Academic Watch List because scores have failed to make adequate yearly warning two years in a row.

No sanctions have been placed on the district so far, and Donze said the junior high school has been receiving regional support provider grants.

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Reader comments on this story - 3 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

George wrote on Oct 24, 2007 7:17 PM:

" Kennedy, Bush, what is the difference. This act stinks. "

Chris wrote on Oct 23, 2007 7:38 PM:

" Why does Bush get the blame?? He's getting way too much credit! Bush didn't write the bill, Ted Kennedy did. The leftists whined and cried....he gave them their way....yet they point the finger at him when it fails. I think we reap what we sow. "

Bush wrote on Oct 23, 2007 7:01 PM:

" That NCLB Act is no laughing matter. How did Bush expect a teacher to teach a 6th grader, 6th grade math who is at a 3rd grade level? Does he really think, that the 6th grade teacher will be able to work miracles? How can a teacher make up 3+ years of education in 9 months? With those kids performing at a 3rd grade level (what multiplying 2 digit numbers with help) how are they suppose to figure out a function or an expression using exponents? "
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