News release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Most FWCS schools reach top levels of state rankings
(August 29, 2011) – Nearly 90 percent of the Fort Wayne Community Schools buildings received an A, B or C this year under Indiana’s accountability system, up from 85 percent reaching the top three categories last year.
Forty-four schools earned an A (Exemplary Progress), B (Commendable Progress) or C (Academic Progress) under Indiana’s Public Law 221 for performance during the 2010-11 school year.
Fifteen schools – Whitney Young Early Childhood Center, Brentwood, Croninger, Glenwood Park, Lincoln, Indian Village, Irwin, Nebraska, Saint Joseph Central, Scott Academy, Shambaugh, Study, Waynedale and Weisser Park elementary schools and Memorial Park Middle School -received an A, as did the district as a whole. Harris Elementary earned a B or Commendable status, and 28 more schools were received a C or Academic Progress rating.
In addition, 22 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. For the second consecutive year, FWCS as a district also made AYP.
“Each year we are seeing more schools reach the top categories under the state accountability system because our Reform Agenda is working,” Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson said. “We made a commitment to ensure that we educate all children to high standards, and the commitment to our Moral Purpose is paying off. More important than the label of being an A district is what it represents: More children are reaching their potential because they are receiving high quality instruction every single day.”
Public Law 221 determines a school’s rating based on how students perform on ISTEP+ as well as how much a school improved from one year to the next. The measurement is also tied to a school’s performance under No Child Left Behind. Regardless of how much improvement a school made under PL221, a school can place no higher than Academic Progress if it does not make Adequate Yearly Progress.
If the AYP cap had not been in place, FWCS would have had 35 schools with an A, six schools with a B and three schools with a C. For the 11 LEAD Schools, if the AYP cap had not been in place, six would have received an A and three would have received a B.
“What the LEAD process proved is when our schools are focused on the right areas, with the right tools and proper support, all students can – and will – learn,” Dr. Robinson said. “We are now taking those best practices and implementing them across the district. We expect our improvement to continue district-wide as we sharpen our focus on tailoring instruction to individual student needs.”
 
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