'No Child' target looms for Castro 'No Child' target looms for Castro (February 11, 2005)

Federal program still applies despite major changes

By Julie O'Shea

Redrawing school boundary lines, adding bus routes, moving programs and reshuffling students and teachers are just some of the issues Mountain View-Whisman trustees will face over the coming months.

The board is scheduled to vote this week on whether to close Slater School and restructure Castro School.

But while this decision has been a lengthy process and many changes are in store for the coming months, a few things will remain the same, including the district's standing on No Child Left Behind, President Bush's 2001 school accountability act. The federal law demands that all school children -- regardless of whether they are in special education or are English language learners -- reach grade-level proficiency in reading, writing and math by 2014.

Currently, Slater, Castro and Theuerkauf schools are in danger of missing this year's annual growth target, district officials said. If a school fails to meet the U.S. government's tougher accountability standards three years in a row, it could face a state takeover and other sanctions.

Mountain View-Whisman Superintendent Eleanor Yick hopes that by moving Castro's Spanish-English immersion program to Landels School and introducing an intense English language academy in the lower grades, Castro will perform better on its state exams next year.

However, these drastic changes won't save the school from sanctions if it fails to meet federal growth targets a third year in a row, according to Bill Padia, director of policy and evaluation at the state education department.

Padia said a restructured Castro will not get to start on a clean slate with No Child Left Behind.

If the school performs poorly on this April's state STAR test, it will be the second year in a row Castro will fail to meet its federal growth target. If it doesn't meet its target next year, the state will begin taking corrective action, which could include the replacement of the school staff, implementation of a new curriculum and the appointment of an outside education expert.

Schools must have 24.4 percent of their students reaching the proficient mark or above on the English language arts portion of the state's standardized test; 26.5 percent must be at that level in math. Each subgroup within a school, such as socioeconomically-disadvantaged students, must hit this mark as well.

Castro has seen steady growth on state tests over the past few years, but it continues to struggle to make the marks laid down by the federal government.

Assistant Superintendent Modrite Archibeque told school trustees last week that she has concerns that Castro won't be making those targets this year.

Schools that don't make their "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) marks are labeled Program Improvement Schools. Districts must give parents the option to transfer their children out of Program Improvement Schools. Also, federal and state aid given to these schools could be earmarked for tutors, extra academic support services and transportation services.

The Feb. 10 school board meeting, after the Voice's press time, will be held at Graham Middle School. It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Trustees could hand down their final vote on the school closure recommendations then.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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