By Sonja Young
Herald Staff Writer
November 16, 2005 01:00 pm
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CLINTON — A group of local community leaders got a bird’s-eye view of the Clinton schools during the State of the District Report presented by Clinton School District Superintendent Randy Clegg on Tuesday at the Best Western Frontier.
Clegg said a lot of good things have been happening in the district.
“Last year we began to see some very encouraging signs indicating that the work to improve student achievement in our school district is beginning to pay great dividends.” he said. “Test scores are up in grades four and eight. We are closing the achievement gap for low-income students and special-education students.”
Clegg said ACT scores are up and dropout numbers are about the lowest they’ve been in history.
But, Clegg said, there is still a lot of work to do.
“Unfortunately we are still working very hard to try and improve our high school academic scores,” he said.
Clegg reported Clinton is among 14 school districts that did not meet No Child left Behind requirements and Washington Middle School was one of 94 public schools designated as “schools in need of assistance.”
Clegg said unless a school is receiving federal Title I funds there are no specific sanctions associated with a school being identified as a school in need of assistance.
“Of the 94 schools identified in Iowa as schools in need of assistance, only 12 are receiving Title I dollars,” he said.
Clinton’s school district is among those that receive Title I funds.
In the area of reading, Clegg said that last year the district experienced a significant increase in the percentage of students that scored at the proficient level: More than 79 percent of all fourth-graders were considered proficient in reading.
There also have been significant increases in reading proficiency in the areas of low-income students and special education.
Clegg indicated that in comparing low-income students with all student scores, the gap between the two groups has narrowed considerably. He said that eliminates the predictive factor that a child’s family income determines how well they perform in school.
Clegg said tests used to measure math proficiency today are asking students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of math concepts. It’s no longer sufficient that a student know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
“They must also understand the mathematical concepts, relations and logic to explain and justify solutions to problems,” he explained.
From fall 2003 to fall 2004, the district posted good gains in math at all levels with the exception of 11th grade.
“The biggest gains last year were achieved at the fourth- and seventh-grade levels,” Clegg said. “After years of stable math scores at the fourth-grade level, last year we posted a significant increase in measured student math achievement. Last year more than 84 percent of fourth-grade students achieved at the proficient level, which is above the state average.”
The ACT is a college admissions exam that measures student achievement in English, reading, math and science reasoning.
“Nearly 56 percent of Clinton graduates last year took the ACT,” Clegg said. “This is up from 48 percent in 2004 and 51 percent in 2003.”
Students who earn a composite score of 20 or above on the ACT are considered to have a high probability of post-secondary success. Clegg said more than 70 percent of the CHS students taking the ACT exam last year earned a composite score of 20 or higher compared to 63 percent the year before. And there is good news regarding the two new elementary schools.
“Last week, we received a letter from Russell Construction that they anticipate turning over the new building to us on Dec. 1,” Clegg said. “The new Jefferson Elementary School will provide a tremendous, a dramatic improvement in the learning environment for the children attending Jefferson Elementary School.”
On Monday night, the board of education released the bids for the construction of the new north-end elementary school. Clegg said the design is similar to that of Jefferson and the school will be completed in fall 2007.
“The completion of the new north-end elementary school will bring to closure a 10-year project — a vision that was created in 1996-1997 to have four well-equipped elementary schools that are consistent in the type of support services they provide,” Clegg concluded.
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