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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, October 6, 2008 Snohomish County schools that aren't up to standard lose kids By Eric Stevick Herald Writer Nearly 400 Snohomish County students have transferred to schools with higher test scores this fall because their neighborhood schools fell short of federal academic goals. It's an increasing trend statewide. The federal No Child Left Behind law gives families options if the school near them fails to meet requirements. Mukilteo was the hardest-hit school district in the county, with 170 students from five elementary schools enrolling in three higher-performing schools. "I think it's caused a considerable amount of angst among the teachers," said Catherine Kernan, president of the Mukilteo Education Association. "It has caused a considerable amount of disruption." Parents have used a provision in the federal law to move their kids. Under the law, schools and districts are judged on their overall reading and math test scores and on how specific groups of students perform. A percentage of students classified as low-income, English-language learners, special education, or members of five different races or ethnicities must pass the WASL in order for schools to make adequate yearly progress. Schools that don't meet standards in any one of the 37 categories for two years in a row can be placed on the federal watch list, and those that qualify for federal funding for low-income students must notify families and allow students to transfer to other schools in the district. That's what happened this fall to five Mukilteo elementary schools -- Challenger, Discovery, Fairmount, Horizon and Olivia Park. Most of the Mukilteo students leaving their home schools have either never taken the Washington Assessment of Student Learning or have passed the state exams, according to district statistics. For instance, 116 of the 170 students are in kindergarten through third grade and were too young to take the WASL. Of the 54 students who transferred in the fourth and fifth grades, more than three-quarters passed the reading WASL and 58 percent passed the math exam. Kernan said the No Child Left Behind law could use some changes. "My theory is it's a plan to destroy public education," she said. "I believe in accountability, but this is just a punitive system." Advocates of the federal law say the school-choice option is aimed at providing motivation for schools to help all groups of students. The Mukilteo district ended up moving more than five teachers to other schools to balance the influx of transferring students, said Andy Muntz, a school district spokesman. It also has had to work on transportation issues to bus students to their new schools. Some students were on the bus more than 45 minutes, but those commute times have since been reduced, he said. Mukilteo has been fortunate. All three schools -- Columbia, Endeavour and Picnic Point -- that received transferring students had enrollment openings. Columbia, for instance, had been experiencing declining enrollment in recent years as fewer school-age children live within its enrollment boundaries. "It actually worked out well," said Columbia Principal Wendy Eidbo, which had 54 students enroll through the school-choice option. "We have been able to see all our classes at single-grade levels." State officials have predicted that the number of schools on the federal list will increase in the years ahead because the goals for passing rates will be raised incrementally. By 2014, 100 percent of students are expected to pass, according to the No Child Left Behind law. Other school districts also are feeling the effects of the No Child Left Behind school-choice option. Edmonds, Everett, Lakewood, Marysville, Monroe and Snohomish all have had students -- from a handful to dozens -- opt to transfer to other schools this fall. In the Monroe School District, 51 children transferred from Frank Wagner Elementary School to Chain Lake and Salem Woods elementary schools. Another 17 students transferred from Park Place Middle School to Monroe and Hidden River middle schools. The district still is calculating the financial impact, said Rosemary O'Neil, a school district spokeswoman. So far, it knows of an additional $45,000 in classroom expenses, which includes adding staff hours. "Transportation will be another chunk" as well as compensating teachers if their classes hit class size "overload" numbers set in their labor contracts, O'Neil said. Communication to families is another challenge the district has faced, O'Neil said. School districts often don't know if they are going to be on the federal list until mid- to late August, leaving a short window to get the word to parents in a timely manner. Families in schools receiving choice transfer students also said they need notification, she said. Transportation is another challenge. "Shuttle transportation is a concern, with students missing instruction because they come from so many different directions and have to arrive at their home school to shuttle to the choice school," O'Neil said. Marysville had 58 students leave Quil Ceda and Tulalip elementary schools and transfer to Grove and Pinewood elementary schools this fall. "Ten percent of our Title I budget -- close to $100,000 -- had to be set aside to pay for busing for the transferring students and for private tutoring," said Gail Miller, the district's assistant superintendent. "This was money that could have gone to help these schools." Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or e-mail stevick@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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