Hamilton On Track to Meet No Child Left Behind Standards

Hamilton schools continue to notch progress in meeting federal education standards, which in two years will require all students test "proficient" in math and reading.

Although the official numbers will not be released until May 23, staff calculations show the has met adequate yearly progress in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Katherine Little, instructional technology and assessment coordinator for the district, told the Hamilton School Board Tuesday.

"We’re still in good shape,” she said. “But we’ll see as we move on.”

Under No Child Left Behind, school districts must meet yearly progress standards set by the state in an effort to raise district and individual school academic achievements. Districts or schools failing to meet yearly progress standards two years in a row can face federal sanctions.

In 2010-11, the standards districts must meet include: an 85 percent attendance or graduation rate, 95 percent test participation rate,  and 80.5 percent of students testing "proficient" on reading and a 68.5 percent testing proficient in mathematics on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination.

The federal rules state 100 percent of students must be proficient in reading and math by the 2013-14 school year.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Little said. “But to get 100 percent proficiency will be an amazing challenge.”

 In order to help students meet the challenges set this school year, the district offered freshman seminar courses, additional math and reading resources, and “double doses” of elementary level reading and math.

In 2011-12, 87 percent of students must test proficient in reading and 79 percent proficient in math. Little said achieving the higher standards is challenging due in part to federal requirements special education students must meet for graduation.

Hamilton Superintendent Kathleen Cooke said it’s perplexing why there’s a lack of alignment between the federal special education law and NCLB. School board members agreed. 

“There’s no cookie cutter for students,” board President Gabe Kolesari said. “These kids don’t fit into cookie cutters. They’re not little round kids that we’re trying to fit into little round holes.”