No Child Left Behind ...

By Leslie McCartney, of The Montana Standard - 11/11/2007

Sami Masica, an eighth-grade student at East Middle School, participates in a reading class last week. In an effort to improve its academic performances, each of East’s 659 students takes an entire year of reading class — as opposed to a semester for some students — meaning that when added with other subjects, students can get up to 90 minutes of reading in the 6½ hour school day. Walter Hinick / The Montana Standard.

If you want to see the change the No Child Left Behind Act has made in Butte public education, look no further than East Middle School.

Except for one year, East — which is fed by the district’s six elementary schools — has failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress, the federal government’s measuring stick for No Child Left Behind, since testing began in 2002.

As a whole, most of East’s students have met or exceeded proficiency targets in reading and math, but there are pockets of students, such as those with disabilities, and those who are low-income or belong to an ethnic group, which are counted separately and called subgroups.

If one of those groups fail, the whole school fails.

And at East for the first time, the number of students who make up those subgroups are big enough to count in AYP’s calculations. That is why Butte’s elementaries regularly meet AYP — some with very high scores — but those students all come together at East and those same classes fail.

A school can also fail if not enough students take the test or not enough students graduate, even if they pass tests. East is also the school in Butte that tests the most students since both seventh and eighth grade are tested.

“It’s an all-or-nothing thing,” said Judy Jonart, district curriculum director. (See related story.) The solution In an effort to tackle the problem, East has come up with a novel solution: Each of East’s 659 students takes an entire year of reading class — as opposed to a semester for some students — meaning that when added with other subjects, students can get up to 90 minutes of reading in the 6½ hour school day.

“This will guarantee that kids don’t go backwards,” Jonart said, adding that AYP proficiency benchmarks rise each year. “And this is a good program.” East’s reading program is tiered so depending on a student’s progress, they may be put into different types of reading classes. Before coming to East, students are tested and teachers consult to determine an appropriate placement. Some students may receive more intensive coaching in much smaller classes while other classes can have 30 students and handle more advanced readings and concepts.

“At some level, every student here is in reading,” said Kathy Milodragovich, the lead reading teacher at East. Six teachers handle reading duties, which can range from helping students learn to pronounce words to discussion of the central theme of a novel. “We are reading to learn, not learning to read,” she said.

The reading program at East is a far cry from simply learning to read. The program involves working on fluency, reading aloud, comprehension and a bevy of language skills, from punctuation, spelling to sentence writing and vocabulary. Augmenting the program is Great Books reading, where students analyze, synthesize and evaluate information.

“Everything has been spoon-fed to them so this is a tough adjustment,” said teacher Patty Sayler after teaching a class based on the award-winning novel called “Maniac Magee” where students hunted through the text looking for metaphors, figurative language and meaning. “They require critical thinking and it’s a higher level of reading.” Books, especially ones that capture and keep students’ attention, are key, Sayler said. Themes of bullying or divorce resonate with 12- and 13-year-olds, making it interesting while delivering the information they need to know to succeed.

Keeping interest up Keeping kids interested can also mean that they will stay in school.

“Middle school is really make-it-or-break-it; kids can drop out at 16,” Milodragovich said. “And teachers here are very concerned about their students.” Research has proven that a child’s reading level corresponds to the success they have later in life, including their earning potential, said East Principal Larry Driscoll. “Reading is huge,” he said. “And you need to have those skills.” He also credited teachers and staff at East who have worked hard to implement a program that meets the goal of making AYP but keeping learning interesting and fun.

Probably the biggest drawback to allowing for extra reading time comes at the expense of exploratory classes like music, cooking, art or industrial arts.

“I want to keep the middle school concept,” Driscoll said, noting the difficulty of fitting that much into a school day. “Our day (seven periods) hasn’t changed, but what is offered in classes has.” Sayler understands the need for intensive reading time, but laments that students may not get the chance to experience some types of hands-on or skills-based classes.

“It’s important that a kid reads well, but it’s also important to have a well-rounded kid. This is the only time they have to experience some of these classes.” Like other educators, Sayler has noticed that not as many students seem to read for fun, which makes a difference in how much a student can achieve.

“If there is one thing a parent can do to make a difference, it is reading to their child,” she said.

Reporter Leslie McCartney may be reached at leslie.mccartney@mtstandard.com.