For the first time, parents with students enrolled in the Northshore School District received letters informing them that their schools are failing.
The ‘failing’ letter to parents describes how they can choose to send their child to a better-performing school, with transportation costs paid by the school districts, which is a key requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind law. But many teachers and administrators in the district resent the ‘failing’ label.
“I’m sure it’s confusing for our parents to receive this letter, especially since just last spring we sent out letters saying most of our schools were receiving awards for student performance,” said Larry Francois, superintendent. “It makes us seem inconsistent.”
Francois explained that the 2001 No Child Left Behind law required all states to create their own standards for reading and math and work toward ensuring every student reaches them, including students with disabilities and those who don’t speak English as their first language. The deadline, set in 2001, was 2014. Recognizing that few if any districts would hit that target, the Obama administration granted most states a waiver from some of the law’s requirements in exchange for adopting certain reforms, including the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations. In April, Washington became the first state in the country to lose its waiver because it does not mandate districts to use student scores on state tests as part of judging how well teachers do their jobs.
“This letter does not represent how our students are doing,” Francois said. “We want to make sure our parents know that there’s nothing different about any of our schools today than yesterday.”
Earlier this month, school district superintendents across the Puget Sound region stood firm to argue that their schools are thriving. They signed a letter of their own to parents explaining why they feel the ‘failing’ label is arbitrary and wrong.
“While we’re not at 100 percent proficiency for all kids, we are making progress,” said John Welch, superintendent of the Puget Sound Educational Service District. “The 2014 federal target is 100 percent and that’s unrealistic.”
Another impact from the law was that five of Northshore School District schools that receive Title 1 were identified as being in need of improvement and put on step programs. Crystal Springs, Frank Love and Woodin Elementary are in Step 1 and Kenmore and Woodmoor Elementary are in Step 2.
“These schools house our low income or special needs students and are measured at a different standard than our other schools,” Francois explained.
Out of these five schools, only 18 students’ families chose to send them to another school, an option from one of the steps.
“This makes us confident that families are feeling good about their schools and trust us to educate their children properly,” Francois said. “Our priority is always to do everything we can to ensure our kids get the best education possible.”
