District maps out plans on raising JHS's rating
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

Jasper Independent School District Superintendent Bill Dean said Monday the high school's unacceptable rating is a "serious concern to all of us and that the board, administrators, and the site base committee is committed to making the required improvements.

Dean's comments were made during a public hearing to address the Academically Unacceptable rating Jasper High School received from TEA based on the last round of TAKS tests.

While the school district received an Acceptable rating overall, the high school was deemed Unacceptable based on scores of two sub-groups: African American students and Economically Disadvantaged students.

Gwen Gilford, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, presented an overview, explaining the improvements in performance expected by the agency, sanctions that may be imposed, and then soliciting comments from the public. Only a hand-full of parents attended.

Gilford explained that the 2006-2007 passing standard was 45 percent.

"That means that 45 percent of African American and Economically Disadvantaged must make at least 70 on the test," Gilford said. "In 2006- 2007, 33 percent of our African American and 40 percent of our Economically Disadvantaged students made at least 70."

She also pointed out that the state standard for 2007-2008 has risen to 50 percent, meaning that 50 percent will have to make at least 70.

The district has already taken steps to analyze student achievement data, identify students needing re-teaching to specific objectives, and put a plan in place to address the deficiencies. Gilford covered some of the steps being taken.

"Each six weeks we are giving benchmark tests in all core areas and in math we are testing more often," she said. "We are also doing daily teaching, reteaching and review of TEKS objectives, encouraging higher level thinking skills and offering counseling for students and parents."

Jasper High School Principal Kevin McCugh talked about the focus on math and new software used to identify where students are having problems. He said that the software was of great benefit to teachers and students.

"We are using DMAC solutions, a software program that can identify specific objectives that students are missing," McCugh said. "This software allows teachers to look at individual students' individual objectives in all four core courses."

Cheryl Padgett, TEA External Member of the Campus Intervention Team, retained by JISD to assist in resolving the high school deficiencies also spoke at the public hearing.

She explained the various sanctions that TEA could impose if students do not make the required improvements, including alternative management or closing the campus but said that she did not expect that to happen because the district is already involved in steps to address the problem.

"I don't see this as something we will have to do in Jasper," Padget said. "The Board and administrators are very open to correcting the problems. "

Padgett said she has been coming once a week since September.

"My role is to see if the plan is being implemented and I'm happy to report that it is," she said. "I find many great things already in place, like using the DANA Center and the new data system that allows teachers to see the number of students who have not passed specific objectives. The test has changed and I think we haven't caught up. The district has invested in tools and teacher training. We now have to make sure we teach what we test. You can teach a lot more, but you have to teach what is being tested and you also have to monitor."

Padgett also explained that students have changed and educators have not necessarily changed their methods of teaching to accommodate that change.

"Kids today are the video generation," she said. "They are visual and we are still teaching using auditory methods. We have to use more visual methods , more active, fun lessons in short bites."

Padgett also said that learning has to come first. It has to be the primary focus of the school.

"I think one thing that will help is that beginning this year, there are grade levels below who must pass the TAKS test in order to be promoted to the next grade (fifth and eighth grades)," she said. "Parents and students will now understand that this is serious business."

In other business:

The Jasper Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a cooperative agreement at a special session Monday night with the city of Jasper and Jasper County to plat and map properties within the city limits of Jasper.

The purpose is to place properties on the tax roll whose owners are not currently identified. The work has been awarded to Metro Planning of Jasper and the cost to each entity over a two year period is $38,000.

"The city of Jasper will be manager for JISD and the county and this could amount to as much as a million dollars to the school district, $500,000 for the county and a quarter of a million for the city," Superintendent Bill Dean said. "This will be about a two-year project with the possibility of locating these property owners and getting these properties back on the tax roll."