By Amy Sieckmann

Anniston Star Capitol Correspondent

08-10-2004

MONTGOMERY -- Hundreds of students in area schools went back to school Monday thinking that this will be their life for the next nine months.

But that could all change Thursday when the state board of education publicly releases the list of the state's underperforming schools.

Just what the list says could affect students in the upcoming school year because they can transfer schools.

The federal No Child Left Behind act requires all schools to notify parents before the first day of school whether their child's school has met certain standards, known as adequate yearly progress.

If certain schools have not made adequate yearly progress, parents can transfer their child to another school within the district that has, potentially affecting everything from bus routes to classroom desk assignments.

That kind of disruption has local superintendents praying they get good news Thursday.

"This could be really tough," said Randolph County Superintendent Wayne Wortham, whose system started Monday. "I think we will be OK. But I don't know for sure until later this week. And if one of our schools doesn't make adequate yearly progress, I don't know what we will do…. If we have to transport a child from one end of the county to the other, it will require additional staff and additional money for fuel and the federal government doesn't provide for that…. We will have to find the money."

On top of the lack of extra funding to cover unexpected costs, Wortham and other superintendents said they are worried transfers could hurt students' learning abilities and disrupt lesson plans.

"It's difficult," said Talladega City Superintendent Lee Messer. "When you plan all summer to start school and then all of a sudden on the fifth day of class you are told you have to do it all differently now. It is difficult on the kids and it is difficult on the teachers."

The adequate yearly progress reports are based on a variety of indicators including test scores, class attendance and test participation. When the reports are released Thursday, the state also will announce scores on five standardized tests that determine a separate list labeling schools as "priority," "watch" or "clear." Those labels are to help parents understand how different categories of students are doing in certain subjects and highlight how schools need to improve.

So why start school early Monday?

The state board of education suggested schools not start before Aug. 9 because the state Education Department said it could get the reports out by that time. Most state schools followed this recommendation and started Monday or will start Thursday. Superintendents set school calendars in Alabama.

Aside from the confusion this may cause among parents and education officials, however, there will be no penalties from the federal government for schools starting before the Education Department's Thursday data release. But that could change next year.

According to the NCLB act, schools that do not notify parents if their child's school is underperforming may lose a portion of their Title One funding. Alabama has a waiver this year that allows them to miss the deadline without jeopardizing federal funding.

But federal officials should not expect to get a waiver again next year, said Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden. Ford is the author of a state bill to establish a single start date later in August. He said if schools were required to start no later than Aug. 21, there would no chance of losing federal funding.

"I don't think the state of Alabama is in a position to possibly lose money for education," Ford said.

If school systems have students transferring in a few days it will be a disaster, Ford said. Ford also says his bill would save schools money with reduced utility costs and allow the state to reap more revenue through a longer tourism season while letting schools finish the first round of tests by Christmas if they give up a fall break.

Other states have already taken this approach. North Carolina's governor signed a law earlier this month prohibiting schools from starting before Aug. 25.

But superintendents say that starting late won't solve the real problems student transfers cause.

Because Alabama's teacher tenure laws make it difficult to move teachers to different schools after July 1, Messer said it is almost impossible to find room for transferring students. The best answer, in his mind, is for the state make it easier to move teachers later or get the test information out to parents and have parents let schools know if they plan to transfer their children before July 1.

That might be difficult since most education officials test students at year's end when they stand the best chance of testing well. With 130 school systems and 1,500 schools in Alabama, having a testing agency grade tests and having the state double check the numbers and organize data takes time, officials said.

For now, superintendents say they are waiting to see what happens. Wortham said he has had meetings and talks with teachers and parents about NCLB and possible student transfers. Messer said he plans to send out notes to parents on Thursday letting them know if their children will see any changes in their schools.

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Wortham. "But hopefully we will not have anyone not making adequate yearly progress. We do the best we can. Running schools is a lot more challenging that it was 20 years ago and it gets more so every year."

Amy Sieckmann can be reached at asieckmann@earthlink.net or 334-264-8711.

 

Amy Sieckmann covers state government. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri.