More Mass. schools meet US progress goals
Number increased 1st time in 3 years, state report says
The number of Massachusetts public schools that meet federal student achievement standards increased for the first time in three years, even as the number of schools in the bottom tier jumped by 30 percent, according to a report released yesterday by the state Department of Education.
State education officials and outside specialists said the findings suggested two trends: The majority of the state's schools appear headed in the right direction, while a minority of schools, particularly in urban districts, are seriously languishing.
Overall, 298, or 17 percent, of the state's schools have failed to meet the federal standards, down from 317 last year, the report showed. Among the schools that climbed off the list this year are four elementary schools in Boston; the rest were scattered across the state.
At the same time, the number of schools that failed to meet the federal standards for at least five years grew from 60 last year to 78 this year, an increase of 30 percent. Twenty of those schools are in Boston. Under federal law, Massachusetts could now remove their principals and staff and seize control of the schools.
State education officials said they hoped to avoid such drastic measures by working with the principals and staff to draw up plans for improvement.
"It is encouraging to see so many of our districts and schools meeting their AYP targets," Acting Education Commissioner Jeffrey M. Nellhaus said in a statement, using the acronym for adequate yearly progress. "Still, too many of our schools, particularly in urban areas, are not making enough progress year to year. The department is committed to working cooperatively with district and school leaders to accelerate performance gains at these schools."
A joint statement released yesterday by the Boston School Committee and the city's new superintendent, Carol R. Johnson, said, "The results present a mixed picture for the Boston public schools."
The report is part of an annual attempt to measure the progress that schools are making under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires states to design their own measurements for all students to reach proficiency in math and English by 2014.
The report divides schools into five categories:
Massachusetts bases its definition on proficiency on MCAS scores, MCAS participation rates, and graduation and attendance rates.
In Boston, four traditional public schools and one charter school moved from "identified for improvement" to "good standing." They are Holmes Elementary in Dorchester, Mozart Elementary in Roslindale, Philbrick Elementary in Roslindale, Russell Elementary in Dorchester, and the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton.
"We are very proud that four of the 16 schools statewide that moved from an improvement category into good standing are Boston schools," the statement from Johnson and the Boston School Committee said. "And one of our schools, the Russell Elementary, is the only school in the state that moved from 'corrective action' status to 'good standing,' based on its tremendous two-year gains in both English language arts and mathematics."
Albert Taylor, principal of Mozart Elementary, said there was a palpable sense of relief there yesterday. "It was very positive." he said of the reaction, "like, 'Phew! Hard work pays off.' "
Taylor attributed the school's improvement to a relentless focus on student weaknesses and the addition two years ago of 45 minutes of extra math instruction weekly for the lower grades and 90 minutes for the upper grades.
"We just try to stay focused and really constantly look at where children are having difficulties and add more support in those areas," Taylor said. "The teachers here really, really work hard, as they do throughout the district."
In addition to the five Boston schools that showed improvement, 10 city schools fell from "good standing" last year to "identified for improvement" this year. They include seven high schools: Jeremiah E. Burke, Community Academy of Science and Health, The Engineering School, Media Communications Technology High School, Parkway Academy of Technology and Health, Social Justice Academy, and Urban Science Academy.
Three Boston elementary schools also fell onto the list: Samuel Adams Elementary and James Otis Elementary, both in East Boston, and Lucy Stone Elementary in Dorchester.
While those schools are struggling, advocates hope to draw more attention to those that are even further behind: the 78 that have failed to meet federal benchmarks for five consecutive years.
"That's where the true crisis lies," said William H. Guenther, president of MassInsight Education, a school policy research institute. "The state needs to focus on all schools, but they need to focus in particular on a turnaround program for the bottom schools, where the student performance is so abysmal that we can all agree something dramatically different needs to be done."
In addition to tallies for individual schools, the report found that about 19 percent of school districts statewide are not meeting federal standards.
The number fell from 132 last year to 46 this year. Boston, however, remained in the "corrective action" category for the second consecutive year.
Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com. 