CAT Tracks for December 19, 2002 The Southern Illinoisan - AGAIN

The following article appeared in The Southern Illinoisan on Thursday, December 19, 2002...

BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
SPRINGFIELD BUREAU
[Wed Dec 18 2002]

SPRINGFIELD -- The state announced Wednesday that at least 10 Southern Illinois schools are on an academic warning list because fewer than half their students meet state reading and math standards.

The schools are: Cairo junior high and high schools, Egyptian Senior High School in Alexander County, Christopher high school, Elverado junior high, Carrier Mills-Stonefort high school, Harrisburg high school, Eldorado high school, Dongola high school and Crab Orchard high school.

During its meeting in Chicago, the State Board of Education reviewed the academic early warning list which includes 661 schools from 125 districts. State law requires that schools be placed on the list if less than half their students meet state standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test for two consecutive years.

Dee Ozment, superintendent of Crab Orchard high school, said he learned Tuesday the school would appear on the list and hasn't had a chance to work out what to do about it.

"We'll have to do some remediation," he said. "That's our goal, to get at least 50 percent of our students meeting or exceeding."

He said because the school is so small, a few students can swing the school's test scores.

"A couple of students can make a big difference, percentage-wise. You're only talking 24, 25 in a class," Ozment said. "Fifty percent would be like 12 kids. That would only be bringing six kids up to par."

Cairo high school was shown by the state as having zero students meeting standards in 2002, because teachers were on strike when other schools administered the student achievement tests. The year before, 14.6 percent of students met state standards.

Wade Nelson, a spokesman for the State Board of Education, said Cairo high school avoided being placed on the more serious academic watch list because the school was not on the warning list in 1997, the first year for the lists.

Robert E. Schiller, superintendent of the State Board of Education, said in a news release that the watch lists are meant to get the community involved to make the schools better.

"I am confident we will see these numbers decline as that process continues," he said.

richard.goldstein@lee.net 217-782-4043

In the above article, "Wade Nelson, a spokesman for the State Board of Education, said Cairo high school avoided being placed on the more serious academic watch list because the school was not on the warning list in 1997, the first year for the lists."

This statement by ISBE directly contradicts Superintendent Robert Isom's "defense" in The Southern Illinoisan on Sunday, November 24, 2002. Responding to reporter John Homan's question as to why CHS had been moved to the front of the line for restructuring...whether it was a retaliatory act as charged by the CAT...Superintendent Isom responded that "The fact remains, however, that the high school has been on the academic warning list for five consecutive years."

Actually, the FACT is that CHS HAS NEVER BEEN ON THE ACADEMIC WARNING LIST until this year. Want proof? Check out the ISBE's website for a listing of schools on the Early Academic Warning List. CHS is easy to find...the first school on the list. BUT...take note of the big asterisk by its listing..."New to the List"!

So...once again...ISBE and CSD #1 contradict each other! The CAT knew that the Superintendent's statement was wrong, but it's much more effective to have ISBE point it out...albeit a month later.

But...as the saying goes..."The truth will out!"