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Two-thirds of Springfield Public Schools did not meet federal achievement standards this year. However, individual student achievement showed signs of improving. KSMU’s Missy Shelton reports.

Springfield Public Schools Website

Under the federal standard, schools must make what’s called “adequate yearly progress” or AYP. Whether a school makes AYP is based on the percentage of students and student groups that score at or above proficient levels in subjects like communication arts and math. While only 17 of the district’s 51 schools made adequate yearly progress in 2010, the percentage of individual students who were proficient or better in math and communication arts increased. Brian Hubbard works with schools in Springfield that have enough low income students to qualify for the federal Title 1 program. He says if students are attending a school that has had ongoing problems making adequate yearly progress, parents can move their children to another school in the district.
Those extra tutoring services are available for free if a family qualifies, based on income. Hubbard says there was a really bright spot in the report, especially for one school that had been classified as needing school improvement. He says Bissett Elementary has shown consistent achievement, and this year, moved out of the school improvement category, something that’s hard to do.
Hubbard says the district will analyze the techniques Bissett used to improve student achievement. We have a link at KSMU.org to the Springfield Public Schools website where you can find more information about how your child’s school faired on this assessment.

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