Report: Bedford Central Students Doing Well Overall, But Gaps Persist

Assessment figures in the annual performance report show that while the overall statistics look good, groups that have historically had achievement gaps continue to face difficulties.

“There’s some good stuff, but there’s some stuff that we’re not satisfied with, and that’s where our work is," said Andrew Patrick, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

One notable example of this is the accountability status for student groups under the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, the federal law which tracks school performance. While most major classifications of student groups (based on race, abilities and socioeconomic status) were ranked to be in "good standing," English language learners and special education students failed to make the target for what is called adequate yearly progress in both the English Language Arts (ELA) and Math asessments at the elementary and middle school levels.

The reason for this, Patrick explained to the school board at its recent meeting, is because of the

The district wasn't being held accountable last year under the new standard, but this year is the first in which it will be. If the groups of students do not meet the goals for this year, the district (or schools) could fall into "in need of improvement" status. If the district receives that status, it would have to show the state an improvement plan for getting the groups closer to the targets. While the district doesn't yet need to report one to the state, there is already one in place, Patrick said.

Achievement gaps also remain prevalent among low income groups (those who qualify for the federal free lunch program). For example, figures for multi-year ELA proficiency results show that in 2011, almost 80 percent of non-low income students showed proficiency, while just under 40 percent of low income students hit that mark. In Math, the gap spanned from results just above 80 percent for non-low income versus less than 60 percent for low income.

“It’s sort of the dichotomy with Bedford Central," school board President Susan Elion Wollin commented during the presentation, of the socio-economic differences within the district.

Patrick noted that low income students start off at a disadvantage from early age and cited past studies that showed higher income toddlers hearing 30 million more words from birth to age three than their lower income peers.

On a racial basis, students of different backgrounds were measured against the mean statewide figures for white students. Gaps in ELA scores closed among Hispanics, disabled students and lower income students from the 2009-10 school year to 2010-11. However, it widened among black students and those who are learning English as a second language. For Math scores, the gaps widened across groups, but whites also showed a decline in proficiency.

In good news for the district, overall ELA scores among those who aren't learning English as a second language improved among age cohorts. For example, the third graders for 2009-10 (also the fourth graders for 2010-11) saw an ELA proficiency increase from 67 percent to 76.1 percent. The sixth-to-seventh grade cohort over that period saw an increase from 74.1 to 77.7. Math assessment scores jumped from 75.2 to 87.7 for the third-fourth grade cohort, and from 89.3 to 90.7 for the sixth-to-seventh grade group.

Overall graduation rates remain strong, as the 2007 class cohort (measured for purposes of tracking high school graduation within four years) had a completion rate of 92 percent by this past August. Among students who began 12th grade for the 2010-11 school year, 97 percent graduated. Out of the graduating students in 2011, 77 percent went on to 4-year colleges, while 19 percent went on to 2-year programs.

In other good news for the district, majorities of student age groups who are learning English as a second language had moves up by at least one level for listening and speaking, based on a state assessment. Majorities in grades K-4 also showed improvement in the writing part of in the state test, but the numbers dropped below the 50-percent mark for grades 5-12.

Going forward, practices to improve student achievement, according to Patrick, include better use of capacity among adult personnel in helping students, more effective use of student performance data and improving upon a series of areas identified in a "dashboard" list, including college readiness and the district's local assessments.