More Iowa schools in need of assistance

While the majority of Iowa's public schools met the state's annual test goals, according to the No Child Left Behind report card released today, the number of schools and districts in need of assistance has increased.

Schools that fail to meet state math and reading goals on the annual Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development are identified as schools in need of assistance (SINA). Schools can miss this target either as a whole grade level or in a subgroup.

The subgroups identify low-income, minority, English language learners or students with special needs.

According to the report, 29.6 percent of Iowa's schools - 415 total - are in need of assistance for the 2011-12 school year. That is an increase from 356 schools in 2010-11.

Districts that do not meet annual state participation goals or the state exam goal - either in the ‘all students' group or any one of the subgroups - for two consecutive years are identified as a district in need of assistance (DINA).

Thirty of Iowa's 359 public school districts were identified as a district in need of assistance for the 2011-12 school year, according to the report. That is an increase from 27 school districts in 2010-11.

“We should always be concerned about schools moving into those higher levels of accountability under the designations in this report,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass. “It's important to temper that, though, with the fundamental flaw in No Child Left Behind. It ratchets up these goals every year. We are going to get to a point where, unless we get relief from Congress or a waiver, there is going to be a dramatic increase in the number of schools labeled.”

The state must increase math and reading goals each year to meet the overall goal of grade level proficiency for all students by 2014.

“We embrace accountability ... but the accountability should be fair,” Glass said.

The Cedar Rapids school district is a DINA district and 19 of the district's 34 schools are SINA schools. This is an improvement from last year, though, when 21 schools had the SINA designation.

Additionally, 97 Eastern Iowa schools are designated SINA schools this year. Iowa City has 15 schools on the list, an increase of two from the year before.