OCR Text |
Show Volume IX Issue VI THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 11 January 1, 2004 NO CHILD LEFT cont. from page 1 reading and math in each grade, 3 through 8, and at least once during grades 10 through 12. By school year 2007-2008, assessments (or testing) in science will be underway. These assessments must be aligned with state academic content and achievement standards. They will provide parents with objective data on where their child stands academically. use of their federal education funding. As a result, principals and administrators spend less time filling out forms and dealing with federal red tape. They have more time to devote to students’ needs. They have more freedom to implement innovations and allocate resources as policymakers at the state and local levels see fit, thereby giving local people a greater opportunity to affect decisions regarding their schools’ programs. Alerts parents to important information on the performance of their child’s school Focuses on what works No Child Left Behind requires states and school districts to give parents easy-to-read, detailed report cards on schools and districts, telling them which ones are succeeding and why. Included in the report cards are student achievement data broken out by race, ethnicity, gender, English language proficiency, migrant status, disability status, and low-income status; as well as important information about the professional qualifications of teachers. With these provisions, No Child Left Behind ensures that parents have important, timely information about the schools their children attend—whether they are performing well or not for all children, regardless of their background. Gives children and parents a lifeline In this era of education, children will no longer be trapped in the dead end of lowperforming schools. Under No Child Left Behind, such schools must use their alloted federal funds to make needed improvements. In the event of a school’s continued poor performance, parents have options to ensure that their children receive the highquality education to which they are entitled. That might mean that children can transfer to higher-performing schools in the area or receive supplemental educational services in the community, such as tutoring, afterschool programs, or remedial classes. No Child Left Behind puts a special emphasis on implementing educational programs and practices that have been clearly demonstrated to be effective through rigorous scientific research. Federal funding will be targeted to support such programs. For example, the Reading First program makes federal funds available to help reading teachers in the early grades strengthen old skills and gain new ones in instructional techniques that scientifically based research has shown to be effective. Weber County Schools Test results were recently released for Weber County schools; 23 schools passed, while 16 failed. Schools were judged on 40 NCLB criteria based mainly on test participation by students, and academic achievement scores. Schools, districts, and the state are required to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria on three indicators: (1) participation in testing, (2) language arts and mathematics core test scores, and (3) either graduation rate for high schools and districts, or attendance rate for elementary and junior high schools. The currently released report of AYP is based on student scores for tests taken in the spring of 2003. Attendance and graduation rate data were not used in this year’s results. Many schools may be doing a better than average job of teaching students, but still fail to meet AYP, which can seem confusing. A school may fail if it does not meet AYP in a particular subgroup where student scores are evaluated according to such factors as a students’ race, if they are economically disadvantaged, have limited English proficiency, or a disability. There are 40 such subgroups. If AYP is not met in any single category, schools will fail. Schools may not make AYP if less than 95% of students take the developed standardized test that is used to measure AYP. A school may also fail if there are unacceptable levels of attendance or insufficient graduation rates. These and other factors determine if a school fails or passes overall. From schools attended by Ogden Valley students, Snowcrest Jr. High met all requirements within the 40 categories. Weber High and Valley Elementary failed in only one category each. At Weber High, only 92% of the students participated in taking the standardized test— 95% are required to be tested in order to pass. At Valley Elementary, the school failed to meet requirements in the Language Arts category for students with disabilities. Note: Information on the NCLB Act of 2001 came from the U.S. Department of Education’s web site and the Weber School Districts web site. HIGHLIGHTS cont. on page 13 Breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Boutique shopping featuring local art, gifts, and golf merchandise. 3900 N. Wolf Creek Drive Eden, UT (801) 745-3737 Annual tests to measure children’s progress provide teachers with independent information about each child’s strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge, teachers can craft lessons to make sure each student meets or exceeds the standards. In addition, principals can use the data to assess exactly how much progress each teacher’s students have made and to make better-informed decisions about how to run their schools. No Child Left Behind defines the qualifications needed by teachers and paraprofessionals who work on any facet of classroom instruction. It requires that states develop plans to achieve the goal that all teachers of core academic subjects be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. States must include in their plans annual, measurable objectives that each local school district and school must meet in moving toward the goal; they must report on their progress in the annual report cards. Gives more resources to schools Today, more than $7,000, on average, is spent per pupil by local, state, and federal taxpayers. States and local school districts are now receiving more federal funding than ever before for all programs under No Child Left Behind: $23.7 billion, most of which will be used during the 2003-04 school year. This represents an increase of 59.8 percent from 2000 to 2003. A large portion of these funds is for grants under Title I of ESEA: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged. Title I grants are awarded to states and local education agencies to help states and school districts improve the education of disadvantaged students; turn around low-performing schools; improve teacher quality; and increase choices for parents. For fiscal year (FY) 2003, funding for Title I alone was $11.7 billion—an increase of 33 percent since the passage of No Child Left Behind. President Bush’s FY 2004 budget request would increase spending on Title I by 48 percent since he took office. Workforce Services and Community & Economic Development Last, but not least, the Workforce Services and Community & Economic Development Interim Committee convened for the final time this interim and endorsed two pieces of legislation—one that advanced to the special session and one that will be among those presented in the 2004 General Session as committee bills. The special session bill, Venture Capital Enhancement Act Amendments, was heard and passed by the committee in the morning before it was adopted by the full body of the Legislature in the afternoon. Unlike the spe- DELI AND MARKETPLACE NOW OPEN Improves teaching and learning by providing better information to teachers and principals Ensures that teacher quality is a high priority HIGHLIGHTS cont. from page 10 oritizing projects. 5. Develop and adopt a long-range statewide multimodal transportation plan. 6. Review the nature and role of transit districts. 7. Coordinate land use development and transportation plans. 8. Strengthen the corridor preservation tools to better address future infrastructure requirements. 9. Establish comprehensive management procedures. 10. Reassess the maintenance requirements of the statewide transportation system. 11. Prioritize congestion relief and commuter services. 12. Strengthen regional planning and coordination, particularly along the Wasatch Front. 13. Improve environmental stewardship. 14. Reauthorize the Transportation Planning Task Force. Gage Froerer & Assoc. (801)745-4221 Equestrian Estate $1,200,000 Custom 5,462 sq.ft. country home, with wonderful "GREAT" room. 10.92 acres 7,500 sq.ft. of barns. Gage 391-4233 Prestigious Victorian Ranch $1,100,000 12.78 ac. inc. 100’x120’ Lg. fenced area w/ round pen and year-round stream. Call Joan 675-0444 ON GOLF COURSE $569,000 Main floor Master suite, hardwood floors Huge log accents. Supreme views. Custom on cul de sac Deborah 745-1538 PRICE REDUCED!! $266,000 Spacious living, 4 bedrooms, 4 bath 3 car garage. Fabulous views. Call Deborah 745-1538 IT’S A GEM!!! $259,000 New 4 BD, 3-car garage, great room w/fireplace. Cul-de-sac location and R.V. parking. Deborah 745-1538 Resort Condo $69,500 Fully furnished 1 bedroom & close to golfing,swimming & ski resorts Great Investment! Joan 675-0444 Eden Office 2405 Highway 158 BRANCH BROKER Deborah Hegg (801)745-1538 REALTORS Brandon Fuller 645-6060 ****** LOTS & ACREAGE ****** LIBERTY & NORDIC 2 AC Lot- 3100E 4100N -$79,900 50AC - Nordic Valley Rd- Includes Golf Course & Lots - $1,450,000 EDEN Allows more flexibility 1.76AC -2225 Hwy 158- $81,000 In exchange for the strong accountability, No Child Left Behind gives states and local education agencies more flexibility in the 1.61AC -2250 Hwy 158- $81,000 5.76 AC Serenity Hills $185,000 25.91AC - 2300N 6200E- Includes 26 shares of water $390,000 HUNTSVILLE 65AC Snowbasin Road $1,800,000 33.24AC- 11 lot SudDiv. $565,000 1.57&1.58AC-RiverRun-$69,500EA 1.59AC- Commercial $230,000 2AC - Hwy $110,000 Joan Woodruff 675-0444 Happy Holidays |