CAT Tracks The Southern Illinoisan

BY JOHN D. HOMAN
THE SOUTHERN
[Sun Nov 24 2002]

CAIRO -- Wade Nelson, public information officer with the Illinois State Board of Education in Springfield, said there is no planned takeover of Cairo high school or any school in the district.

Test scores have been low for several years, however, and the high school has been on the academic warning list for five years. In compliance with federal mandates, it's time for those test scores to rise significantly or significant changes be made.

Nelson said specific recommendations have been made to the Cairo board, following a two-day trip to Alexander County by a 16-member team Oct. 9 and 10.

Major recommendations include:

Ensure that all high school students have classes and experiences that are standards-based and prepare them for the Prairie State Achievement Examination/ACT tests. Several options to create a standards-led high school are: contract with an outside entity that has a rigorous curriculum aligned to Illinois Learning Standards to manage the high school.

Create a district-managed charter school that employs a rigorous curriculum.

Create partnership academies so that students are exposed to ILS and occupational skill standards. Since the major employers in the area are hospitality and health services, these might be the first choices for partnership academies.

Redesign the high school curriculum, instruction, assessment, and schedule to insure a standards-led education.

Review the staff needed to provide a high school curriculum that ensures students are prepared to enter college and be successful on the PSAE.

Reassign, employ or dismiss staff as necessary.

Offer reading classes based on individual student diagnostic data. This will require additional reading materials and resources to implement these classes.

Provide instruction to all 11th grade students in test taking strategies.

Purchase a HVAC system to improve the indoor air quality at the high school.

Improve the physical conditions of the high school by installing skylights that would provide natural light, replacing burned out bulbs, painting the walls with light colors, and decorating.

Develop curriculum expectations materials for parents and the community.

Purchase reading and mathematics texts, materials, and resources that are aligned to the ILS, scientifically research-based, manageable for teachers to implement, and consistent across grade levels based on an inventory of books and materials.

Assess teacher and knowledge and skills of mathematics concepts and processes in order to appropriately direct professional development. Assess each student on reading and mathematics knowledge and skills to serve as a baseline for instruction.

Reassess periodically, i.e. every 6-8 weeks, to modify instruction.

Redesign the parent liaison job description to focus on helping parents understand expectations for learning (standards and curriculum).

Develop a parent-friendly report card that will communicate to parents how his/her child is doing in relation to the standards and benchmarks.

Coordinate all extra-extended learning programs to insure consistency in the identification of students and quality of curriculum aligned to standards and leveraging of resources.

Apply for 21st Century Community Learning Center for the district and include funds to hire a supervisor who will oversee the management and implementation of all extra/extended learning opportunities.

Require students who are below standards to spend out-of-school time on increasing reading and mathematics skills.

Increase requirements for graduation to include more than two mathematics courses.

Reduce the amount of time spent in whole class instruction and drill and practice seatwork and increase time in peer learning and small group instruction.

Increase the use of technology for research and project work and decrease the reliance on computers for drill and practice instruction.

Implement filtering software so students do not access inappropriate Web sites.

Revise the school improvement plan to incorporate these ISBE recommendations, including professional development that stresses in-class support, a schedule, and experiences that can be measured for their impact in the classroom.

john.homan@thesouthern.com

618-997-3356 x15807