News Archive - July 2010

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District announces preliminary Adequate Yearly Progress results

July 30, 2010

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education today released preliminary 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 requires all schools, districts and states to show that students are making AYP by meeting annual targets in communication arts, mathematics, attendance and graduation rate.

 

AYP is determined by the percentage of students and student subgroups that score at the advanced or proficient level or are on track to proficiency by the law’s 2014 deadline.

 

Overall, Springfield Public Schools did not meet AYP in 2010. At the site level, 17 of 51 Springfield schools did meet AYP. View a summary of all SPS schools' performance.

 

A notable achievement for SPS in 2010 was the increased percent of students scoring proficient and advanced in both communication arts and mathematics. All but one subgroup, including total students, showed improvement in the percent of students who scored proficient and advanced. Almost two-thirds of SPS elementary schools met AYP for communication arts, 26 this year versus just 17 in 2009.

 

Even more SPS schools demonstrated improvement in the number of students who scored proficient and advanced in both communication arts and mathematics. Of 51 schools, 30 increased their percent of students who scored proficient and advanced in communication arts, versus 25 the year before. In mathematics, 26 schools increased the percent of students who scored proficient and advanced, versus 25 schools in 2009.

 

Highlights of SPS AYP results include:

 

A key objective of NCLB is that 100 percent of students be proficient in communication arts and math by 2014. Meantime, annual AYP targets have been established to track schools’ progress. This year, targets increased 8.2 percent in communication arts and 9.2 percent in mathematics.

 

For 2010, schools must have 67.4 percent of students performing proficient or above in communications arts; 63.3 percent must be proficient or better in math. In 2011, those requirements will increase to 75.5 percent and 72.5 percent, respectively.


For a third year, school districts benefited from the AYP Growth Model, which takes into account individual student growth over time. The Growth Model allows for students who may not currently be proficient, but who are “on track” to achieve proficiency in four years, to be counted toward AYP.

 

According to the Growth Model, SPS had an additional 1,053 students in the area of communication arts and an additional 917 students in the area of mathematics who are on track to proficiency for AYP.

 

Any school failing to meet AYP two years in a row is identified for school improvement. According to the preliminary data, 13 Springfield schools were identified for school improvement this year:

  

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 1, Delayed

Boyd Elementary School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 1

Holland Elementary School

Sunshine Elementary School

Twain Elementary School

Weaver Elementary School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 2, Delayed

Westport Elementary School

York Elementary School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 2

Weller Elementary School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 3

Williams Elementary School

Pipkin Middle School

Study Middle School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 4

McGregor Elementary School

 

Title I Schools in School Improvement Level 5

Reed Middle School

 

“I am encouraged by this year’s AYP results,” said Dr. Norm Ridder, superintendent of schools. “Another increase in the number of students scoring at the advanced and proficient levels along with the number of students on track to reach those levels underscores the commitment and innovation of the teachers, principals and district staff who support their work.

 

“Our goal as a district is to meet or exceed accountability measures; however, AYP places unrealistic expectations on our schools that 100 percent of students be proficient. It is my hope that the federal and state governments will allow schools to move to more formative assessments that take a wider-ranging examination of a child’s ability and his or her school's academic progress. Such a method of accountability would promote new and better approaches to education nationwide, allowing innovative school districts like Springfield Public Schools to better serve individual students.”

 

More information:

  1. Adequate Yearly Progress Compilation for SPS schools
  2. Understanding Your Adequate Yearly Progress

 

Springfield Public Schools will be back in session Aug. 24

July 27, 2010

Springfield Public Schools students will begin the 2010-2011 school year Tuesday, Aug. 24. To help parents and students prepare, important information about back-to-school events, school supplies and enrollment is featured on the district Web site at http://springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/back-to-school.htm.

Sixth-grade orientation at SPS middle schools is Tuesday, Aug. 10. Registration for new students at all Springfield Public Schools is Wednesday, Aug. 11. Freshman orientation will be Thursday, Aug. 12, and will begin at 9 a.m. at Central and Glendale high schools, 6 p.m. at Hillcrest and Parkview high schools and at 7 p.m. at Kickapoo High School.

More back to school information can also be found on the new mySPS Podcast page of the district website. Podcast episodes feature district personnel discussing important topics for parents, students and the community.  There are currently three podcasts available discussing enrollment, immunizations and kindergarten screenings.

 

WIC Clinic offering kindergarten screenings and other services to all families

July 27, 2010

The WIC Clinic is offering kindergarten screenings from Monday, July 26, through Friday, July 30.

To be eligible to start kindergarten, a child must turn five before August 1. Kindergarten screenings are required before a student can start kindergarten. Springfield families in need of a kindergarten screening for a child who will begin school this fall, may contact the WIC Clinic at 851-1587 for more information or to schedule a screening. Kindergarten screenings may also be scheduled with the district’s early childhood office by calling 523-7701 on or after Aug. 11.

The WIC clinic is also offering immunizations as well as vision and hearing screenings for children through Wednesday, July 28. The WIC Clinic is located in the Jordan Valley Community Health Center at 440 E Tampa.  

Learn more about kindergarten screenings as well as some useful tips for families and students starting kindergarten in the most recent edition of the mySPS podcast, http://springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/mySPSPodcasts.html.

 

Williams Elementary School to get a makeover July 17

July 15, 2010

The On the Lamb Sam RV Club is volunteering their time in order to give Williams Elementary School, 2205 W. Kearney St., a makeover at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 17.

The club has partnered with the district to do facility improvements for the past several years at both Westport and Bissett elementary schools. The 40 member club is sending about 20 volunteers to paint interior hallways and the entryway at Williams on Saturday.

For more information, contact club president 839-8791 Don Richardson.


Free immunization clinics to be offered next week

July 15, 2010

Springfield Public Schools will offer a free immunization clinic at several schools beginning on Monday, July 19.

Missouri law requires that all children must be properly immunized to attend school. For the 2010-2011 school year, the law also requires all incoming eighth-grade students to have a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) vaccine unless they have received a Td booster within the last two years. Incoming kindergarten students are also required to have two Varicella vaccines unless there is a documented chickenpox disease. 

Children who do not have proof of adequate immunization on file will be excluded from school the first day, Aug. 24. Free immunization clinics will be held at the following schools:

July 19

Kickapoo

July 20

Parkview

July 21

Central

July 26

Hillcrest

July 27

Glendale

All clinics will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Completed immunization information should be returned to elementary schools by Aug. 9 and to middle schools and high schools before students pick up their fall schedules.

To schedule an appointment at a clinic, or for more information, please contact the district health services department at 523-1632.


Springfield Public Schools test scores show big gains for students

July 14, 2010

The district’s fourth quarter report, presented at the July board meeting, revealed significant progress for the 2009-2010 school year in academic achievement. Springfield Public Schools students saw their mathematics and communication arts test scores on the Performance Series assessment climb, in some cases by as much as 40 percent, from the beginning to the end of the school year.

The Performance Series is an online assessment system administered in the beginning, middle and end of the school year. It is designed for students in grades 3-8 in the subject areas of reading, language arts, and math, using the same reporting measurements as the MAP. Results can be viewed at the content area, content standard, or objective level. This is the second year that SPS has used the Performance Series.

Some of the changes from beginning to end-of-year results for 2009-2010 include:

“Springfield Public Schools is seeing outstanding results from the Performance Series,” said Superintendent Norm Ridder. “Each student becomes engaged in their learning when they get immediate feedback on their performance. Both staff and students find that the performance series gives them immediate feedback on their assessments and helps them recognize the next steps to mastering the subject.”

The district also saw gains in the end-of-year performance by students compared to the year before. At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, 56 percent of Springfield eighth-graders scored at the advanced and proficient level in mathematics; this year, 72 percent scored at that level.

“Results for 2009-2010 show improvement from the beginning of year to the end of year window for all subject areas and all grades,” said Dr. Matt Goodman, Director of Quality Improvement and Accountability.

“Additionally, comparisons of end of year results from 2008-2009 vs. 2009-2010, show increases above 10% for math at the middle school level in the proficient and advanced categories, and subsequently decreases in below basic and basic,” Goodman explained.

Complete results are available in the report.

 

Church volunteers to paint at Pershing School July 14

July 13, 2010

East Sunshine Church of Christ members will volunteer their time to make facility improvements at 5 p.m., Wednesday, July 14, at Pershing Elementary and Middle School, 2120 S. Ventura Ave.

About 50 members of the church congregation have volunteered to paint the school’s cafeteria. This will be the first time East Sunshine Church of Christ has made this kind of contribution to Pershing.
 

“We hope to forge a partnership that will lead to other meaningful projects in the future,” said Minister Jay Baker.

 

Central High School student and teacher named 2010 Bezos Scholars

July 13, 2010

Central High School student Marc Simon and communication arts teacher Kyle Wallace were selected as 2010 Bezos Scholars by the Bezos Family Foundation, a private, independent foundation established by Jackie and Mike Bezos to strengthen educational opportunities and cultivate learning as a life-long process that begins at birth.
 
Simon and Wallace were among 12 student-teacher pairs selected from across the nation to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival July 5-11 in Aspen, Colo., a prestigious seven-day event held each summer that explores the major challenges and big ideas shaping our world. At the festival, selected high school juniors meet international leaders, acclaimed thinkers and creative artists and engage in seminars, plenary sessions and informal meetings.

Since 2005, high school juniors have been selected through an application process and an educator from each student’s school is invited to participate at the festival. The program opens the event to school staff in order to provide a unique leadership development opportunity for principals, teachers, college counselors and curriculum coordinators. Students and teachers return home and work together to create sustainable Local Ideas Festivals to transform their schools and communities. One of the 12 Local Ideas Festivals proposals will receive a $1,000 School Award Grant to use as seed money for the festival.
Both Simon and Wallace will be recognized at the school board meeting on July 13.

 


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