199 Texas schools fail to perform
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:25 am
Thousands in DISD, elsewhere can transfer at district expense
By TERRANCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Parents at 199 substandard public schools in Texas will get the option by today to transfer their children to better schools under a federal law aimed at boosting achievement.
A list of schools failing to make the grade – including three dozen regular and charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area – was released Wednesday by the Texas Education Agency.
Passing rates on the state achievement test were the main criteria used to assemble the list, which was dominated by high schools.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, school districts must tell parents that they can request a transfer for their child to another public school immediately. The district must provide transportation.
In most cases, students can enroll at a new school in their district. Where there is no choice – such as in smaller districts with a single high school – officials must obtain a "cooperative agreement" with a nearby system to accept their students.
DeEtta Culbertson, an education agency spokeswoman, said Wednesday that there is no specific requirement on when the transfer request must be honored other than "within a reasonable amount of time." After receiving a notification of eligibility to change schools, parents will have at least 30 days to seek a request.
Thousands of students in the Dallas Independent School District are eligible to transfer from 16 schools that did not make adequate progress. The bulk of affected students are at 14 high schools.
Dallas officials have already begun to ponder transfer options, considering that the district has only 21 regular high schools.
Interim Superintendent Larry Groppel said he's concerned that 16 Dallas schools made the list – the largest number of any district in the state. Houston had seven schools.
"We have to do better, and we will do better," Dr. Groppel said.
School officials said they don't expect a large number of students to transfer. However, at one Waco school where parents were given the option several weeks early, 12 percent of the students moved to another campus.
Forty-four of Brazos Middle School's projected 365 students asked to switch to one of six other district middle schools. Brazos has a current enrollment of 320.
Dale Caffey, a Waco district spokesman, said officials identified Brazos Middle School as certain to be on the federal list and decided to outline the transfer option before the new school year began.
"We realized changing school in the middle of the year could be disruptive to students, so we decided to notify parents of their school choice option during the summer," he said.
Officials were less certain about the other Waco school that made the list this week – Waco High – so they waited for formal designation from the education agency.
Letters were sent Wednesday, and a meeting for interested parents will be held next week. Mr. Caffey estimated it would take a month to accommodate Waco High transfer requests at the other two high schools in the district.
Several educators said the late notice is the primary reason few students are likely to seek transfers.
"We're already several weeks into the school year," said Richard Kouri of the Texas State Teachers Association. "Parents and students will be reluctant to make a change at this point, so we believe only a small number of students will request a transfer."
School districts were supposed to notify parents before the academic year began in August, but negotiations with Washington over the state plan to meet federal requirements delayed identification of schools on the list.
The federal ratings were based on passing rates on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in spring 2004. To meet the "Adequate Yearly Progress" required under the law, at least 47 percent of all students and each student group – blacks, Hispanics, whites, low income, limited English and special education – had to pass the reading section of the TAKS, and 33 percent had to pass the math section.
In addition, elementary schools needed a 90 percent attendance rate last year, while high schools required a 70 percent graduation rate.
Schools receiving federal Title I funds for low-income children failing to achieve minimum progress two years in a row must let students transfer to another school. More than two-thirds of Texas schools receive Title I money.
Texas already has a transfer option under its own school rating system allowing students to bail out of low-performing schools – but few have taken advantage of it. A key difference, however, is that the state program does not require transportation to class.
Dallas school officials haven't yet determined why their schools didn't meet the standard, DISD spokesman Donald Claxton said.
Letters will be sent home today to parents in English and Spanish, notifying them of their right to seek a transfer, he said.
Some parents at J.L. Long Middle School in East Dallas, which didn't meet the standard, expressed mixed feelings about moving their children.
Martha Early said she would not pull her granddaughter out of the school.
"It would be hard on her," said Ms. Early, who has custody of the child. "She knows all these kids, and she likes it here."
But parent Jamie Trevino said taking her son out of J.L. Long would depend on the transfer schools available.
"He feels comfortable here," she said. "But if there's a better-quality school, I would take him out."
Staff writer Tawnell Hobbs in Dallas contributed to this report.
The list of 199 schools will be posted later today in this topic.
By TERRANCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Parents at 199 substandard public schools in Texas will get the option by today to transfer their children to better schools under a federal law aimed at boosting achievement.
A list of schools failing to make the grade – including three dozen regular and charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area – was released Wednesday by the Texas Education Agency.
Passing rates on the state achievement test were the main criteria used to assemble the list, which was dominated by high schools.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, school districts must tell parents that they can request a transfer for their child to another public school immediately. The district must provide transportation.
In most cases, students can enroll at a new school in their district. Where there is no choice – such as in smaller districts with a single high school – officials must obtain a "cooperative agreement" with a nearby system to accept their students.
DeEtta Culbertson, an education agency spokeswoman, said Wednesday that there is no specific requirement on when the transfer request must be honored other than "within a reasonable amount of time." After receiving a notification of eligibility to change schools, parents will have at least 30 days to seek a request.
Thousands of students in the Dallas Independent School District are eligible to transfer from 16 schools that did not make adequate progress. The bulk of affected students are at 14 high schools.
Dallas officials have already begun to ponder transfer options, considering that the district has only 21 regular high schools.
Interim Superintendent Larry Groppel said he's concerned that 16 Dallas schools made the list – the largest number of any district in the state. Houston had seven schools.
"We have to do better, and we will do better," Dr. Groppel said.
School officials said they don't expect a large number of students to transfer. However, at one Waco school where parents were given the option several weeks early, 12 percent of the students moved to another campus.
Forty-four of Brazos Middle School's projected 365 students asked to switch to one of six other district middle schools. Brazos has a current enrollment of 320.
Dale Caffey, a Waco district spokesman, said officials identified Brazos Middle School as certain to be on the federal list and decided to outline the transfer option before the new school year began.
"We realized changing school in the middle of the year could be disruptive to students, so we decided to notify parents of their school choice option during the summer," he said.
Officials were less certain about the other Waco school that made the list this week – Waco High – so they waited for formal designation from the education agency.
Letters were sent Wednesday, and a meeting for interested parents will be held next week. Mr. Caffey estimated it would take a month to accommodate Waco High transfer requests at the other two high schools in the district.
Several educators said the late notice is the primary reason few students are likely to seek transfers.
"We're already several weeks into the school year," said Richard Kouri of the Texas State Teachers Association. "Parents and students will be reluctant to make a change at this point, so we believe only a small number of students will request a transfer."
School districts were supposed to notify parents before the academic year began in August, but negotiations with Washington over the state plan to meet federal requirements delayed identification of schools on the list.
The federal ratings were based on passing rates on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in spring 2004. To meet the "Adequate Yearly Progress" required under the law, at least 47 percent of all students and each student group – blacks, Hispanics, whites, low income, limited English and special education – had to pass the reading section of the TAKS, and 33 percent had to pass the math section.
In addition, elementary schools needed a 90 percent attendance rate last year, while high schools required a 70 percent graduation rate.
Schools receiving federal Title I funds for low-income children failing to achieve minimum progress two years in a row must let students transfer to another school. More than two-thirds of Texas schools receive Title I money.
Texas already has a transfer option under its own school rating system allowing students to bail out of low-performing schools – but few have taken advantage of it. A key difference, however, is that the state program does not require transportation to class.
Dallas school officials haven't yet determined why their schools didn't meet the standard, DISD spokesman Donald Claxton said.
Letters will be sent home today to parents in English and Spanish, notifying them of their right to seek a transfer, he said.
Some parents at J.L. Long Middle School in East Dallas, which didn't meet the standard, expressed mixed feelings about moving their children.
Martha Early said she would not pull her granddaughter out of the school.
"It would be hard on her," said Ms. Early, who has custody of the child. "She knows all these kids, and she likes it here."
But parent Jamie Trevino said taking her son out of J.L. Long would depend on the transfer schools available.
"He feels comfortable here," she said. "But if there's a better-quality school, I would take him out."
Staff writer Tawnell Hobbs in Dallas contributed to this report.
The list of 199 schools will be posted later today in this topic.
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