TERRE HAUTE —
Eighteen Vigo County schools received As and Bs, five received Cs, two scored Ds and two (including one now closed) got an F under the state’s A-F school category placement.
Results were made public after a state Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Category placements are part of Public Law 221.
“I’m very proud of our grades overall, but I know we have areas of concern,” said Superintendent Dan Tanoos.
The district successfully appealed some of the original grades.
Schools receiving an A are: Fuqua, Dixie Bee, Farrington Grove, Fayette, Lost Creek, Rio Grande, Sugar Creek Consolidated and Sugar Grove elementaries, and Terre Haute North Vigo and South Vigo high schools.
Those receiving a B are: DeVaney, Deming, Honey Creek Middle School, Hoosier Prairie Elementary, Otter Creek Middle School, Ouabache Elementary, Riley Elementary and West Vigo High School.
Schools receiving a C are: Franklin, Meadows and Terre Town elementaries, as well as West Vigo Middle School and Woodrow Wilson Middle School.
Sarah Scott Middle School and Davis Park Elementary received a D, while West Vigo Elementary and the now-closed Chauncey Rose Middle School received an F.
This year, 23 out of 27 schools were in the top three categories, or 85.2 percent, said Karen Goeller deputy superintendent. Last year, 24 out of 29 schools were in the top three categories, or 82.7 percent. (Washington and McLean alternative schools were not counted this year).
The School Board has asked Tanoos to place a special focus on helping the schools with Ds and Fs so they can improve. “We’ll really ramp up our efforts” at those schools, he said.
Also, the state has assigned someone to work with those schools that received grades of D and F, Tanoos said.
That “technical support” person has met with central office staff and will visit those schools to provide suggestions for improvement, Goeller said.
But Tanoos also noted district officials don’t need a state A-F ranking system to tell them how schools are doing.
“It tells us nothing more than what we already knew about our schools, but now it puts a big target and label on schools that are in the areas of most need,” he said.
Schools with high percentages of children living in poverty, as well as high percentages of special needs and other at-risk children, face greater challenges and may have lower test scores, he said.
Goeller noted that West Vigo Elementary, which received an F this year, made the “exemplary” category (now labeled as an A) in 2010.
Davis Park Elementary made an A (or A equivalent) in three of the past five years. This year, it received a D.
“There is great inconsistency,” Goeller said.
The new system (for elementary and middle school) uses a growth model that compares academic peers, but doesn’t differentiate based on socio-economic factors. The state A-F formula bases its definition of “high growth and “low growth” not on how much students actually grow in one year, but on how much they grow relative to other students, Goeller explained.
“The problem with the A-F model is that it assumes you can make a comparison of how a child progresses from year to year based only on the school and the teacher,” she said. “But you have all these outside variables that impact the progress of a child in significant ways.”
West Vigo Elementary and Davis Park were hurt by “low growth,” in which students “did not make comparable growth to peers across the state,” Goeller said.
Both schools lost two points on a four-point scale as a result.
Goeller noted that at West Vigo Elementary, 80.2 percent of the children meet poverty guidelines, compared to 45 percent statewide. Also, 30 percent of its children are special needs, compared to 14.4 percent statewide.
If a school receives an F for six years in a row, it faces possible state takeover, Goeller said.
While some schools with high poverty rates are struggling, Tanoos noted that others “are showing good signs of growth.” Fuqua and Farrington Grove schools both received an A, while Deming and DeVaney received a B.
Susan Shackelford, Rio Grande Elementary principal, said that when the school learned it received an A, “We cheered and patted eachother on the back.” Then, “We went back to work.”
The staff “continues to work really hard every minute of every day,” Shackelford said. “I’m sure other schools are working just as hard.”
Woodrow Wilson Middle School was one of five schools to receive a C, or a 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, which Principal Sharon Pitts said is really more a C+.
Her biggest concern with the new system is that “we pit schools against one another,” she said. Schools with high poverty and special education rates will have a harder time making top grades.
Also, the new growth system does not differentiate based on a school’s socio-economic factors.
Under the new system, no one can really say what those grades mean, Pitts said. “I really do believe teachers are working harder than they ever have.”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
News
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Grade "A" education: Rio Grande Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Sandy Parr plays a version of "Jeopardy" with her class Wednesday at the school. Rio Grande Elementary School students were far from being in jeopardy this year after the school was awarded an "A" by the Indiana Department of Education.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Overhead instruction: Rio Grande Elementary School teacher Roseann Moreland instructs her class Wednesday at the school. The hard work of Moreland, her fellow teachers, staff and students have helped the school earn an "A" from the Indiana Department of Education.
Discussion
Department of Education releases its controversial grades for schools
23 of 27 Vigo County schools rated in top three categories
- News
-
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
- More News Headlines
-
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
