Increasing number of schools failed to meet goals

More schools in Minnesota failed to meet state math and reading goals this year, but data released Monday about which schools are falling behind contained some bright spots for educators.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, 1,048 out of 2,303 schools are not making "adequate yearly progress" under the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. That number is up from 931 last year and 727 in 2007.

But compared with last year, fewer high schools and junior highs are falling behind. The list of struggling schools grew partly because of elementary schools that didn't meet targets, which get tougher every year.

"I'm not surprised," said state Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. "We know the targets go up every year and that the potential for school districts to not [make the goals] increases."

The latest results come as the No Child Left Behind law faces an uncertain fate under President Obama. The law, which mandates that states check up on how well schools educate different groups of students, was touted as a key early priority of the Bush administration. It is overdue for congressional reauthorization.

How Obama is funneling economic stimulus money to schools is giving educators a hint of how a new law may look. Some say he will expect more, not less, from schools when it comes to testing and data-tracking.

"I think you're going to see [No Child Left Behind] put on steroids, in some way," Seagren said.

Rising targets

Under the law, states need to test how different student groups fare in school. If one group -- such as special-education students -- fails to meet targets on state tests, the whole school is labeled as not making "adequate yearly progress."

For schools receiving federal Title I money for poor students, failure means penalties that increase over time, from having to offer transfers and tutoring to restructuring an entire school. The proficiency level required each year is a rising target -- by 2014, the law says, every student group in the country is supposed to pass the tests.

Many expected 2009 to be the first year in which the list of Minnesota schools not making the cut would be longer than those doing well, but the Department of Education included about 300 more schools than it has in previous years, to better comply with the federal law. Of the schools for which the state has sufficient data, 49.6 percent are falling short.

"As these targets go up, it's kind of looking like every school in the state will eventually be on the list," said Dave Heistad, Minneapolis' testing chief.

About 45 percent of the state's high schools didn't meet targets, down from 52 percent last year. About two-thirds of middle and junior high schools didn't meet targets, down from 70 percent last year. About 44 percent of elementary schools didn't meet targets, up from 37 percent last year.

Seagren thinks that giving students an incentive to do well on the 11th-grade state math test has helped high schools. When students took the test in April, they believed that passing part of it would be necessary in order to graduate, a requirement from which the Legislature has since backed away.

A statewide push for better programs in science, technology, engineering and math has also boosted achievement, Seagren added.

In the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, both Eagan and Eastview high schools got off the list of schools not making enough progress.

Eagan fell short in 2008 because its low-income students didn't do well enough on the math test.

Students, thinking they needed to pass to graduate, "gave it a stronger effort," said Principal Polly Reikowski. She said students also got extra practice on the math test's short-answer essays, which had been a trouble spot.

Wayzata High School didn't make state benchmarks in 2008 because of the performance of black students on the math test.

"We realized that there were some issues in some [specific student groups] that had put us on the list," said Principal Mike Trewick. "We addressed those issues with the kids involved and talked to them about the importance of the tests," to get them to take it seriously.

The school got off the list this year.

"My reaction is 'Yay!'" he said. "But I just hope we stay off it."

'No excuses'

Educators have seen signs of what Obama may want in a new No Child Left Behind law, which Congress is expected to consider within the next year.

Attached to the federal stimulus money that schools are getting, Seagren said, is "strongly worded encouragement" about what schools should do.

The administration's priorities include setting expectations to meet high international standards, focusing on getting students ready for college, and tracking data on students over time to see how much they improve. Teacher effectiveness will also get closer scrutiny, she said.

"[Education Secretary] Arne Duncan and President Obama have been clear," Seagren said. "They're expecting no excuses."

Minnesota Republican Congressman John Kline is the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. He supported the goals of the original law but thinks it's "too specific, too intrusive and too involved in the 'how,' " according to Alexa Marrero, a spokeswoman for Republicans on the committee.

But as of now, "There is no 'No Child Left Behind 2.0,'" she said. Part of the delay is due to the economic stimulus package, which gave schools "a huge infusion of cash that states are frantically figuring out how to spend," she said, adding:

"It feels like there is a lot happening in education, and unfortunately, No Child Left Behind has been pushed aside."

Emily Johns • 612-673-7460 • ejohns@startribune.com Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016 • slemagie@startribune.com