Poplar Bluff MAP scores improving

Students are showing improvement in some academic areas and each campus has plans in place to continue making advances, Poplar Bluff Board of Education learned during its monthly meeting Thursday, the Daily American Republic reported.

Grades kindergarten through second saw gains of between 5 and 10 points on the Terra Nova standardized achievement test, according to a report presented by Assistant Superintendent Sarah Long. The district scores are above the national average.

The district saw Missouri Assessment Program scores from spring 2009 testing increase by 6.3 percent in communication arts and 3.5 percent in math over the previous year.

The junior high, Eugene Field Elementary, O'Neal Elementary and Oak Grove Elementary saw overall increases in both math and communication arts scores. Lake Road Elementary and the 5th and 6th Grade Center saw a decrease in overall communication arts scores, but increases in math scores.

According to state targets, 59.2 percent of all students were to score proficient or advanced in communication arts and 54.1 percent in math. The federal government has said 100 percent of students should meet these two categories by 2014.

HIGH SCHOOL

Poplar Bluff High School Principal Scot Young began his presentation to the board by sharing personal experiences with students this year. He talked about students who cut themselves to feel better, are serving time in jail now or are under evaluation by hospital staff.

"Let me be clear, this high school is not the high school any of you went to," Young said.

Staff members are working on new programs to reach and help every student.

In 2009, 72.9 percent of high school students scored proficient or advanced in communication arts and 28.9 percent in math. The high school, in school improvement year 3, administered end of course exams for the first time last year.

The high school's previous policy was to give a zero on work students failed to turn in on time.

"We are trying to employ a new philosophy," Young said. "We are going to quit letting kids off the hook."

Teachers now call parents the first time that happens. The second time, a Vista tutor is assigned to help the student with the work.

"(Students) have to do the work. If they don't do the work, how can they master a concept," Young said.

The school is also increasing tutoring and dual credit offerings, as well as working to create common assessments for staff members who teach the same subjects to use with students.

JUNIOR HIGH

The junior high has increased its MAP achievement scores each year, however that has not been enough, said Principal Carla Henderson.

The junior high had 50.1 percent of students score proficient or advanced in communication arts and 45.4 percent in math. The school is in improvement year 3.

Both scores were calculated with growth, which means some students did not meet the actual proficient or advanced target. Instead, the state measures their improvement and believes that student will reach their target within three years.

"All of the staff are striving to find ways to reach the kids," Henderson said.

The junior high started a school improvement committee and wants to get more parents involved at the school. Staff members are working with individual students to determine weaknesses and trying to improve skills.

They held 35 parent conferences within the first two weeks of school for students identified as at risk, Henderson said

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5TH AND 6TH GRADE CENTER

At the 5th and 6th Grade Center, 67.8 percent of students met proficient and advanced targets in communication arts and 67 percent in math. These scores were calculated with growth.

The campus is still considered to have failed to meet targets, because one of its 10 subgroups did not meet the requirements, said Principal Patty Robertson.

Of their entire school population, the center fell short of meeting proficiency targets by three to four students, she said. The center is school improvement level 2.

"We have appealed some scores because some of the students missed proficient or growth by one to five points," Robertson said.

The school has added a great deal of technology, with SmartBoards in all but three classrooms, and has five AmeriCorps tutors to help students, she continued.

"We feel like technology has really helped us get our momentum going," she said.

This year an electronic device called Active Expression has been added in nine math classrooms. This allows students to interact with SmartBoards and helps teachers collect data on which concepts they are learning.

EUGENE FIELD

Growth trajectories show many Eugene Field Elementary students are on track to become proficient or advanced in the required subjects, said Principal Jennifer Taylor.

With growth calculations, 42.6 percent of students met targets in communication arts and 41.5 percent in math. Eugene Field is in school improvement level 1.

"The staff met over the summer and we used that time to establish baseline needs of the school, areas we want to focus on," Taylor said.

Each grade level will have weekly meetings to collaborate. An instructional specialist from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is observing teachers and will offer advice.

Staff members are also visiting R-I schools and local districts to learn from other educators.

A new supplemental program is being used to target weak areas in math, Taylor said.

"We are trying to go deeper into Reading First strategies," she said. "We want to develop an action plan for every child who is not making benchmark (goals). Growth (indicators) show we have a lot of students with a lot of potential. We just have to tap into it."

OAK GROVE

Oak Grove Elementary was able to meet proficiency targets this year, something he was not able to say last year, said Principal Mike Owen.

The school had 69.2 percent of students score proficient or advanced in communication arts and 65.2 percent in math. This was a gain over the last year of 12.5 percent and 13.3 percent respectively. Oak Grove is not in school improvement.

"We have seen tremendous growth," Owen said. "Of 10 teachers, at least six had over 70 percent of kids score proficient or advanced. We are going to focus on improving what we are already doing, digging a little deeper to find more ways to continue what we're doing."

The school has tried to expand collaboration between classroom and special teachers, he said.

For instance, the physical education teacher knows what concepts are being worked on in English classes that week and incorporates those into games in P.E., Owen explained.

"Our number one focus is collaboration between teachers," he said. "I truly believe we have a huge wealth of knowledge in our buildings."

LAKE ROAD

Lake Road Elementary did not meet targets in communication arts and that was a surprise, said Principal Brenda Allen.

Some 50.5 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in communication arts and 52.4 percent in math. This was a 6.5 percent loss from the previous year in communication arts, but a 14 percent increase in math scores.

Lake Road is not in school improvement because of success in past years.

Staff members learned at a national conference about the importance of a good vocabulary in learning, Allen said. Lake Road is focusing on that now and on increasing higher order thinking skills, she continued.

From the classroom to the lunch line, staff members are using school words of the day with students, Allen said. They have also started a lunch and literature program where a story is read to students each day in the cafeteria.

"Every single day we try to enrich kids vocabulary just by the things we say to them," Allen said.

O'NEAL

O'Neal Elementary met targets in all areas, said Principal Lorenzo Sandlin.

At the school, 74.4 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in communication arts and 71.1 percent in math. This was an increase of 16.3 and 11.6 percent respectively.

The school will hold a MAP academy for students again this year, with extra tutoring available in the evenings and weekends. It will start earlier this year, Sandlin said.

"We want to provide the students with more opportunities to pick up skills," he said. "We feel we are moving in the right way."