By Melissa B. Taboada | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, July 21, 2011
For the third consecutive year, the Austin school district as a whole will miss federal academic targets established by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, district officials told the American-Statesman.
The prediction is based on preliminary data from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills that show unsatisfactory improvement by special education students on math and reading exams.
The official federal school accountability ratings will be announced in August.
District officials said they couldn't say with certainty how many of the 118 schools to be rated this year also failed to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" because the state has not yet released that data. Of 115 Austin schools evaluated last year, six failed to meet the federal standards.
The federal requirements are different from those under the state's accountability system and are based on TAKS participation and passing rates, as well as graduation and attendance rates. Austin missed targets because the district allowed too many special education students to take a modified or alternative version of the reading and math tests, based on federal standards.
Of the district's 85,697 students, 9.7 percent, were served by special education in 2010-11, including those with physical and learning disabilities, as well as emotional and behavioral disorders. Officials said of the 4,327 special education students who took the TAKS — 11.8 percent of test takers — 3,948 took a modified or alternative version of the reading and math tests. The other 379 special education students took the standard TAKS.
Though 83 percent of special education students passed the reading exams and 81 percent passed the math exams, which meets passing standards , the federal system counted about 1,000 of those students as failed. The federal system has a 3 percent cap on how many students can take a modified or alternative exam even if students qualify to take it. Modified tests include those in larger fonts or that offer fewer multiple choice options.
District officials said despite being over the limit, they are giving special education students tests consistent with their individual education plans and their disabilities.
"The bottom line is: You have to do what's right for the kids," said Bill Caritj , the district's chief performance officer. "You can't just give kids the regular TAKS test because it's convenient for you when it's not what's best for them.
"We're doing what's appropriate. We're giving them the correct instruction. We are giving them the correct tests, but we can't count them (as) successful because of the federal rule."
Despite missing the targets, district officials said they are pleased with the progress that special education students have made. Those students made gains in all areas that exceeded gains of students overall.
Graduation rates for special education students have increased for the second consecutive year, from 56.5 percent for the class of 2008 to 61.3 percent for the class of 2010. By comparison, overall graduation rates were 74.3 percent in 2008 and 78.6 percent for 2010.
Austin isn't alone in exceeding the federal special education cap. Houston data show that of 118,478 students tested this year in reading, 6 percent took a modified or alternative version of the test; of 118,610 students tested in math, 5.7 percent took a modified or alternative version .
Federal officials recognize problems with the system.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in June that if there are not changes to standards created by the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, 83 percent of all schools could be classified as failing next year because of tougher passing standards or other reasons. Still, it's unclear whether Congress will make any changes to the law.
Each time the Austin district missed the mark, students made the required progress, but the district exceeded the special education cap.
"We want to meet the needs of all kids, and a message of missing AYP gives the perception that we're not," school board President Mark Williams said. "We can't change the accountability rating for (2011), but we can say how we are going to change it to make it better going forward."
Austin serves a large number of special education students in part because the district has a reputation for having strong programs for those students, officials said.
"Our team does a really nice job. And in some ways, it attracts some people to the district to get those services," Williams said. "When that happens, you get a number higher than what the feds allow us to consider."
The goal is to prepare more of
those students to take the standard achievement exams.
The stakes are high. Districts that receive federal Title I funds and continually fail to miss the federal targets stand to come under stringent sanctions at failing schools , including firing teachers or having the Texas Education Agency or a charter operator take over the school.
mtaboada@statesman.com; 445-3620
Austin school district special education
2010-11 enrollment 85,697
Special education enrollment 8,349
Autistic 720
Orthopedically impaired 117
Other health impaired 1,045
Auditory impaired 71
Visually impaired 71
Deaf/blind 1
Mentally disabled 604
Emotionally disturbed 464
Learning disabled 3,582
Speech impaired 1,620
Traumatic brain injury 28
Noncategorical early childhood 26
Note:Students may have more than one diagnosis.
Source: Austin school district
Showing posts with label AISD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AISD. Show all posts
Friday, July 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
District in distress
Financial exigency approved
By Melissa B. Taboada and Laura Heinauer | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Austin school district Monday night declared the district in a state of financial exigency, clearing the way for administrators to eliminate 1,153 jobs, including teaching postions and other positions under contract.
Trustees voted 7-2, with Trustees Tamala Barksdale and Annette LoVoi voting against. Officials say the fiscal crisis was brought on by anticipated cuts in state funding even as local property tax revenue continues to skid.
Board member Vincent Torres opposed an exigency declaration last year, but Monday night, he made the motion to bring it up for a vote.
"What is different tonight, a year later, is that we are considering teacher positions and teacher contracts. It is only through the termination of those teacher contracts that we can carry out the obligations and fiduciary contracts that we have as a board ," Torres said. "This is not the sort of action that any of us want to take."
The vote on exigency followed Superintendent Meria Carstarphen's presentation of her preliminary 2011-12 budget, which she started with a sober warning:
"AISD spends more money than we bring in. When we don't have enough money to pay bills, it means we have a deficit," she said. "We are cutting because we don't have enough money to run the school system the way it is."
She later called a vote for exigency "prudent and responsible."
As proposed, the $688 million 2011-12 operating budget, which will be voted on in June, would slash foreign language and athletic programs, mandate two-day unpaid worker furloughs, eliminate bonuses and increase secondary teacher workloads. No school closures are planned for 2011-12, she said.
Trustees discussed the budget and exigency until after midnight.
A vote earlier in the evening to amend staffing formulas to cut the number of special education teacher assistants and high school librarians passed 6-3 with LoVoi, Barksdale and Trustee Robert Schneider voting against.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, parents asked trustees to keep schools open and workers pleaded for their jobs. The meeting drew hundreds. Some had to watch from televisions in the courtyard as the boardroom was full.
Several were part of a group called Save Austin Schools, which opposes closing schools to help close the district's $94 million shortfall. In the budget presentation, Carstarphen told trustees that closures are not on the table for the 2011-12 school year so long as the shortfall doesn't grow.
Many members of Education Austin, which represents about 4,000 school district staff, rallied prior to the meeting as well.
Lines of people hoping to address the school board snaked outside the district's West Sixth Street headquarters early Monday. Sign-up for speaking slots, limited to 30, was full by 8:15 a.m. , district officials said.
Alan Guckian, band director at Eastside Memorial High School, was among those who spoke, telling trustees that the proposed staffing cuts under the exigency plan would cause the collapse of a growing program that some call the "backbone of school pride."
Another emotional plea came from special education teaching assistant Del Jessen, who said he and his colleagues change diapers, feed students, find students who run away and sometimes even get punched in the face in the course of their jobs.
"If you lay off 100 TAs, who is going to do these things for your students next year?" Jessen said.
Education Austin argued that though exigency might be inevitable at some point, it's not necessary right now. Co-president Ken Zarifis said the district is being inconsistent in applying the cuts and said the process has been "overly subjective."
"Slow this train down," Zarifis said. "Let's not have a wreck."
Financial experts say exigency is a budget tool that should be used as a last resort. In the past two years, more than 40 of Texas' 1,031 districts have declared exigency, according to credit rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Last week , state officials sent some reassurance to districts considering exigency but had reservations about the effect on bond guarantees.
Declaring exigency provides a district with more legal protection for terminating contract employees. Last year, one employee who was under contract sued the Austin district saying she was wrongly terminated; the district paid her a $149,500 settlement, about the equivalent of a year's pay and her attorney's fees.
The district last declared financial exigency in 2003. More than 600 positions were eliminated. However, fewer than two dozen employees who wanted to stay actually lost their jobs, district officials said. Others either left voluntarily or were reassigned.
This time, officials said there are few positions for which to reassign the employees. On March 28, administrators are expected to present trustees with a proposal for reorganizing departments, and trustees will vote whether to terminate or not renew contracts of those without jobs.
All contract employees must be notified by April 15 if their jobs are being cut; otherwise, their contracts automatically renew for one year.
At the meeting, students held signs urging trustees to save German and Latin courses. Ty Tuttle, who wants to keep German classes at Gorzycki Middle and Bowie High schools, said, "We feel like no one cares about us."
Parent Courtney Wyrtzen, whose daughter attends Gullett Elementary School, said cutting special education teacher assistants would mean that her daughter and other such students wouldn't be able to spend as much time in regular classroom settings. "She deserves an education with her peers," Wyrtzen said.
By Melissa B. Taboada and Laura Heinauer | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Austin school district Monday night declared the district in a state of financial exigency, clearing the way for administrators to eliminate 1,153 jobs, including teaching postions and other positions under contract.
Trustees voted 7-2, with Trustees Tamala Barksdale and Annette LoVoi voting against. Officials say the fiscal crisis was brought on by anticipated cuts in state funding even as local property tax revenue continues to skid.
Board member Vincent Torres opposed an exigency declaration last year, but Monday night, he made the motion to bring it up for a vote.
"What is different tonight, a year later, is that we are considering teacher positions and teacher contracts. It is only through the termination of those teacher contracts that we can carry out the obligations and fiduciary contracts that we have as a board ," Torres said. "This is not the sort of action that any of us want to take."
The vote on exigency followed Superintendent Meria Carstarphen's presentation of her preliminary 2011-12 budget, which she started with a sober warning:
"AISD spends more money than we bring in. When we don't have enough money to pay bills, it means we have a deficit," she said. "We are cutting because we don't have enough money to run the school system the way it is."
She later called a vote for exigency "prudent and responsible."
As proposed, the $688 million 2011-12 operating budget, which will be voted on in June, would slash foreign language and athletic programs, mandate two-day unpaid worker furloughs, eliminate bonuses and increase secondary teacher workloads. No school closures are planned for 2011-12, she said.
Trustees discussed the budget and exigency until after midnight.
A vote earlier in the evening to amend staffing formulas to cut the number of special education teacher assistants and high school librarians passed 6-3 with LoVoi, Barksdale and Trustee Robert Schneider voting against.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, parents asked trustees to keep schools open and workers pleaded for their jobs. The meeting drew hundreds. Some had to watch from televisions in the courtyard as the boardroom was full.
Several were part of a group called Save Austin Schools, which opposes closing schools to help close the district's $94 million shortfall. In the budget presentation, Carstarphen told trustees that closures are not on the table for the 2011-12 school year so long as the shortfall doesn't grow.
Many members of Education Austin, which represents about 4,000 school district staff, rallied prior to the meeting as well.
Lines of people hoping to address the school board snaked outside the district's West Sixth Street headquarters early Monday. Sign-up for speaking slots, limited to 30, was full by 8:15 a.m. , district officials said.
Alan Guckian, band director at Eastside Memorial High School, was among those who spoke, telling trustees that the proposed staffing cuts under the exigency plan would cause the collapse of a growing program that some call the "backbone of school pride."
Another emotional plea came from special education teaching assistant Del Jessen, who said he and his colleagues change diapers, feed students, find students who run away and sometimes even get punched in the face in the course of their jobs.
"If you lay off 100 TAs, who is going to do these things for your students next year?" Jessen said.
Education Austin argued that though exigency might be inevitable at some point, it's not necessary right now. Co-president Ken Zarifis said the district is being inconsistent in applying the cuts and said the process has been "overly subjective."
"Slow this train down," Zarifis said. "Let's not have a wreck."
Financial experts say exigency is a budget tool that should be used as a last resort. In the past two years, more than 40 of Texas' 1,031 districts have declared exigency, according to credit rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Last week , state officials sent some reassurance to districts considering exigency but had reservations about the effect on bond guarantees.
Declaring exigency provides a district with more legal protection for terminating contract employees. Last year, one employee who was under contract sued the Austin district saying she was wrongly terminated; the district paid her a $149,500 settlement, about the equivalent of a year's pay and her attorney's fees.
The district last declared financial exigency in 2003. More than 600 positions were eliminated. However, fewer than two dozen employees who wanted to stay actually lost their jobs, district officials said. Others either left voluntarily or were reassigned.
This time, officials said there are few positions for which to reassign the employees. On March 28, administrators are expected to present trustees with a proposal for reorganizing departments, and trustees will vote whether to terminate or not renew contracts of those without jobs.
All contract employees must be notified by April 15 if their jobs are being cut; otherwise, their contracts automatically renew for one year.
At the meeting, students held signs urging trustees to save German and Latin courses. Ty Tuttle, who wants to keep German classes at Gorzycki Middle and Bowie High schools, said, "We feel like no one cares about us."
Parent Courtney Wyrtzen, whose daughter attends Gullett Elementary School, said cutting special education teacher assistants would mean that her daughter and other such students wouldn't be able to spend as much time in regular classroom settings. "She deserves an education with her peers," Wyrtzen said.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Austin school board approves changes to class rank calculations
Fewer courses will be used to calculate class rank.
By Melissa B. Taboada | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, Dec. 13, 2010
The Austin school board approved changes Monday to the way class rank for high school students is calculated a move officials say will encourage students to take more challenging classes in key areas.
However, the new policy will also make it harder for some students to make it into the top 10 percent of their class, necessary to take advantage of Texas' automatic college admission law.
Class rank now will be calculated using four courses each in math, science, social studies, and English and language arts. Two foreign language courses also will be part of the equation. Electives will no longer be factored into the calculation.
If students take more than the required courses in a given subject, the four highest grades will count toward class rank. Administrators have said that the new system could spur students to take additional advanced academic coursework in core courses because it could boost their grade-point average, but the system won't harm their rank if they don't do as well.
The change will go into effect next fall for incoming freshmen.
Under the current class rank system, upper-level electives, such as advanced jewelry , are counted the same as advanced core courses, such as calculus. District officials decided to change the policy after some parents and students complained that weighted credits were available for some electives, such as fine arts, but not others, such as athletics.
Trustee Vincent Torres said the change "really levels the playing field so that all of our students can be considered fairly in evaluating class rank and levels their opportunity to access state universities and colleges through the top 10 percent rule."
Students in the top 10 percent get automatic admission into the state's public universities, except for the University of Texas at Austin, which will require current seniors to hit the top 8 percent for fall 2011 admission.
School districts across the state have different ways of calculating class rank. Though the state passed a 2007 law that would have created a uniform way to calculate class rank, the law was repealed before it went into effect. Ten years ago, the Round Rock school district adopted a class rank policy similar to the policy Austin adopted Monday. Policies in other Central Texas districts vary.
The changes in Austin mean students will have two grade-point averages — one for class rank, including to determine valedictorian, and another to determine a cumulative grade-point average that can be used on college applications, said Christy Rome, director of intergovernmental relations for the district.
About two dozen parents who commented on the changes on a district webpage were almost evenly divided.
On Monday, trustees also changed the eligibility rules for valedictorian and salutatorian.
Candidates for those top two spots now must have been at their high school for two consecutive years to qualify, a year longer than the current policy.
By Melissa B. Taboada | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, Dec. 13, 2010
The Austin school board approved changes Monday to the way class rank for high school students is calculated a move officials say will encourage students to take more challenging classes in key areas.
However, the new policy will also make it harder for some students to make it into the top 10 percent of their class, necessary to take advantage of Texas' automatic college admission law.
Class rank now will be calculated using four courses each in math, science, social studies, and English and language arts. Two foreign language courses also will be part of the equation. Electives will no longer be factored into the calculation.
If students take more than the required courses in a given subject, the four highest grades will count toward class rank. Administrators have said that the new system could spur students to take additional advanced academic coursework in core courses because it could boost their grade-point average, but the system won't harm their rank if they don't do as well.
The change will go into effect next fall for incoming freshmen.
Under the current class rank system, upper-level electives, such as advanced jewelry , are counted the same as advanced core courses, such as calculus. District officials decided to change the policy after some parents and students complained that weighted credits were available for some electives, such as fine arts, but not others, such as athletics.
Trustee Vincent Torres said the change "really levels the playing field so that all of our students can be considered fairly in evaluating class rank and levels their opportunity to access state universities and colleges through the top 10 percent rule."
Students in the top 10 percent get automatic admission into the state's public universities, except for the University of Texas at Austin, which will require current seniors to hit the top 8 percent for fall 2011 admission.
School districts across the state have different ways of calculating class rank. Though the state passed a 2007 law that would have created a uniform way to calculate class rank, the law was repealed before it went into effect. Ten years ago, the Round Rock school district adopted a class rank policy similar to the policy Austin adopted Monday. Policies in other Central Texas districts vary.
The changes in Austin mean students will have two grade-point averages — one for class rank, including to determine valedictorian, and another to determine a cumulative grade-point average that can be used on college applications, said Christy Rome, director of intergovernmental relations for the district.
About two dozen parents who commented on the changes on a district webpage were almost evenly divided.
On Monday, trustees also changed the eligibility rules for valedictorian and salutatorian.
Candidates for those top two spots now must have been at their high school for two consecutive years to qualify, a year longer than the current policy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)