As a whole, Whitley gets a passing grade

While meeting the federal No Child Left Behind standards for 2005 as a district, administrators with the Whitley County School System are struggling with ways to address deficiencies at some individual schools.
Whitley Schools that made adequate yearly progress for 2005 were: Nevisdale Elementary, Boston Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, Whitley Central Intermediate, Whitley North Elementary and Whitley County Middle School. Schools that fell below federal standards in some target areas were: Pleasant View Elementary and Whitley County High School.
Whitley County Assistant Superintendent and Director of Curriculum Jo Ann Siler said none of the schools that fell short of federal expectations were repeat offenders. The distinction is important because schools that continually fail to meet AYP can face sanctions.
“We’re going to be dealing and working with those areas,” Siler said. “There’s nothing in the report I think we will be unable to take care of. We will be looking at these scores and analyzing and seeing what areas we need to focus on.”
The report is based on scores from the Commonwealth Accountability Tests (CATS) given annually to fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, 10th and 11th grade students. It focuses only on the math and reading portions of the tests.
Pleasant View Elementary Schools failed to meet federal standards in the area of math among free and reduced lunch students. Whitley County High School did as well, and also missed the mark in the areas off reading and mathematics for students with disabilities.
Siler said she’s happiest with progress at Whitley County Middle School, which had failed to make AYP for two straight years, and was facing serious consequences if it fell below the mark this year. Sanctions can be as mild as an alteration in the districts educational plan, to more moderate school choice programs. In severe cases, a school’s administration can be forcibly replaced.
“I’m just really proud of the middle school,” Siler said. “They had been down for the last two years. The teachers and staff and students have worked really hard.”
Siler said teachers would be addressing ways to improve certain areas through professional development meetings this week. Also, she said reading grants and other programs are being implemented. Hiring of additional staff is also likely for the school district.