Three Local Elementaries, Hughes, McAlear-Sawden and Mackensen Get A Grades
23 Local Schools Pass State Education Dept. Adequate Yearly Progress Mark
August 11, 2004
By: Dave Rogers
Students at McAlear-Sawden Elementary School in the Bay City School District recreate with a "tug of war" on the playground.
Three Bay County elementary schools received "A" grades under the state's education YES! School Report Card issued recently by the Michigan Department of Education.
Top performing schools included two in the Bay City School District, McAlear-Sawden and Mackensen elementaries. In the Essexville-Hampton district Hughes Elementary received an "A" grade.
Public schools in Michigan are improving according to State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Watkins. "We are making progress, but still have more work to do to provide every child in Michigan the quality education they need and deserve to thrive in the 21st century knowledge economy," said Dr. Watkins.
Eighteen schools in Bay County received "B" grades: Bangor Lincoln, Bangor West elementaries and Christa McAuliffe Middle School in the Bangor Township district; Auburn, Hampton, Kolb, Linsday, Riegel, Thomas Jefferson and Washington elementaries and Handy and Western Middle Schools in the Bay City district; Cramer Junior High, Verellen and W.R. Bush elementaries in the Essexville-Hampton district, and Linwood and Pinconning Central in the Pinconning district. Mt. Forest Elementary and Pinconning Middle School in the Pinconning district received "C" grades.
The report cards are a compilation of student scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests; the MI-Access alternate assessments for students with disabilities; and self-reported school performance indicators suchas family involvement in schools, curriculum, attendance and teacher professional development.
Goal of the program is to get 100 percent of students proficient in Reading and Math by the 2013-14 school year. Standards are raised periodically. For the past two years elementary schools had to have 47 percent of students proficient in Math and 38 percent proficient in Reading. Next year the targets jump to 56 percent in Math and 49 percent in Reading. Next year middle school standards will beat 43 percent in both Math and Reading; they were 31 percent in both disciplines this year.
Some 80 percent, or 2,114 of the 2,622 elementary and middle schools in the state made the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress), as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Law. The 390 schools that did not make the standard amounted to 15 percent of the total. Both figures were improvements from 76 percent and 19 percent last year.
Because state law requires that the high school MEAP be administered in May, high school report card grades will not be available until later this year.###