SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) One if five Utah schools didn't make the grade in the latest round of testing for No Child Left Behind. This year 209 Utah schools did not meet adequate yearly progress benchmarks. That is about the same as last year.
Backman Elementary in the Salt Lake School District was added to the list this year. The principal, Dahlia Cordova says her faculty was devastated. “Its heart wrenching when you find out you didn't make it."
Backman’s students failed to meet the adequate yearly progress standards in language arts among those who speak English as a second language, and among students in special education. "We certainly work very hard throughout the course of the year to ensure that all of our students are successful."
There are forty categories all schools must pass to meet the No Child Left Behind goals. If a school fails even one, the school will receive a failing grade. Backman is just one of more than two hundred in Utah that did not meet all of the standards.
For Example, the nearly 500 page document shows in the Alpine School district, 9 schools were under standard, Canyons had 10, Davis 21, Granite School District 29, Jordan School District 15, and Salt Lake School District also had 9 schools with insufficient test scores.
Some of the schools failing are among the largest high schools including Alta, Brighton, Cottonwood, Olympus, West Jordan, and Syracuse.
Educators say it's a flawed measurement system, that doesn't take individual progress into account. John Jesse from the Utah Department of Education says it’s time for a better testing model. "We need to look at growth rather than crossing lines to really serve kids, high kids, low kids, middle kids."
Both Jesse and Cordova say while imperfect, No Child Left Behind has helped shed light on kids and parents who need help. Yasmin Castellans has two kids at Backman. She's says the teachers do their part. But, she says parents need to do their part by helping their children with reading and math homework. “If parents help students at home with their reading homework, I think that would help when tests come out.”
Regardless, Cordova says the faculty at Backman is already working hard for next year’s testing to ensure a better outcome. "We are dedicated and committed to address the issues and we are already on track to make that happen."
Most of the Utah schools that failed to make the grade will face no sanctions, and most have up to two years to correct the problems that caused them to fail.
For more information on school scores visit the Utah Department of Education website. http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/DATA-STATISTICS/Educational-Data/Accountability-School-Performance/Accountability-Reports.aspx
