Eagle Ridge misses progress benchmark?

Does anyone have specifics on why Eagle Ridge Middle School didn't meet the Adequate Yearly Progress standards this year?

From the LCPS website http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/509759161361/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=433989&C=76562 :

The schools that did not make adequate yearly progress during the 2006-2007 school year were Catoctin Elementary, Forest Grove Elementary, Guilford Elementary, Rolling Ridge Elementary, Sterling Elementary, Sugarland Elementary, Sully Elementary, Tolbert Elementary, Eagle Ridge Middle School, J. Lupton Simpson Middle School, River Bend Middle School and Sterling Middle School.

Before I call the Education building or the school directly, I thought I'd ask here first.

 

I have not heard about the reason, but I am very interested in finding out more about it, erica. I hope someone who knows the details will share. However, no child in our family would attend public school in this county. The educational quality is desperately lacking. The only way to ensure that children receive a good education these days is through home-schooling.

 

One of the problems of a new and fast growing school system is stability. whether it is teachers or the children who change friends constantly as they change schools things are always in a flux. Changing schools making news friends etc new teachers trying to get a handle on their new environment. Loudoun is throwing a lot of money into it's school system but are we getting value for these huge expenditures.

First thing that needs to be done is stabilization in the schools itself. Crazy that these kids are changing schools all the time and teachers. There is not enough money in the world that can have the same effect as a stable environment. The kids that will benefit the most from Loudoun schools is possibly a generation or two off. In our own area there will be major major changes in the school system when all this mega development gets started. The school administrators would be wise to keep the kids in the same schools with the same teachers through this next generation of growth. Personally I don't understand why this has not been done. The temporary buildings I would think would be far more desirable to the kids then to changing schools, teachers and friends. This county always seems to live in the future but we live here now.

Lee j

 

Were you home-schooled?

 

Folks:

Good question. Under the federal law, each local school is judged by whether they made “adequate yearly progress” (or AYP, which is a percentage rate that increases each year – this year the required pass rate went up by 4% for both math and English) in 29 separate subcategories. If a school does not make sufficient progress in meeting this ever increasing standard in all 29 subcategories, it is deemed to have not made AYP.

This past year, Eagle Ridge MS did not make AYP because it did not make sufficient progress in only one of those 29 cells – that cell was math scores for special education students. Eagle Ridge made the tougher AYP standards in all the other 28 subcategories. Regardless, LCPS professional staff is analyzing the test data and will work with Ms. K and the staff of Eagle Ridge on strategies to address ways to improve and excel not only in this one subcategory but, as they do each year, in all areas.

Eagle Ridge is a nationally acclaimed “School to Watch” (one of only 85 in the country) and we are very proud of it in the Ashburn community and throughout Loudoun. My daughter attended the school, and I have a son who will be there in two years -- and we are really looking forward to it.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at rfdupree@aol.com.

Robert

Robert DuPree
Chairman & Dulles District Representative
Loudoun County School Board

 

Thanks, Mr. DuPree.

This link is interesting-- looks like 6th grade math is weak in many areas? (If I'm wrong, blame my 6th grade math teacher ) Maybe folks out there that are good with numbers and charts can extrapolate more from these...

https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=53&schoolName=2656

 

Mr. Dupree,

Perhaps this question is best directed to Dr. Hatrick...

If you look at the following district (Loudoun County) report card on this link:
https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=53&schoolName=All
and scroll down to page 10 of the 25, there is a comparison of the LCPS 6th grade math scores compared with the state's total math scores.

Why are the Loudoun County 6th grade math scores so much less than the state's total scores? The state's fail rate was 40%-- Loudoun's fail rate was 50%! And that's across the population spectrum-- the white kids are doing worse than the state's white student average (LCPS fail rate 43%/VA fail rate 31%)-- same with the African American population (63%/56%)and the Hispanic population(67%/52%)-- and even-- the Asian population (41%/20%)!

Am I reading this wrong? Does this disturb anyone else?

 

Hi Erica:

You’re two up on me in postings and I can’t keep up (have to read with my own son so I’ll try to make this brief – if you want to discuss further send me an email or give me a call).

I’m unable to access the page you’re referencing but we certainly know about the issue regarding 6th grade math. For the past year, we’ve been looking at that, and it’s not just here in Loudoun that this shows up. Many other jurisdictions around the state saw some unforeseen and inexplicable problems last year with the math scores that, as in Loudoun, simply did not correspond to the performance by the same group of students the previous year(s) in elementary school. And since we continue to outperform the state average in math for other grades, before and after 6th grade, it is very puzzling. So we are looking at what is going on with the 6th grade math program and/or testing.

Anyway, all of the data for all 66 Loudoun schools that were tested last year (representing nearly 2,000 subcategories combined and literally thousands of statistics) is being thoroughly evaluated now and over the coming weeks, as it is every year, and the results will be discussed at future meetings. While it's premature to draw any conclusions without the thorough analysis, we obviously want to excel at every level so we are really looking at this 6th grade math issue. It stands out when compared to the overall gains we made in scores for both math and English this year in broader categories, including all students and subgroups such as African American students, Hispanic students, students with disabilities, etc. If you want to get more information or to discuss further, shoot me an email or give me a call and I’ll be happy to see what I can provide you.

Robert

Robert DuPree
Chairman & Dulles District Representative
Loudoun County School Board

 

No, all public schooling here. However, not in Loudoun County's suboptimal school system, THANKFULLY. Children in my family are only home-schooled. It's the only reasonable option given the alternative with the county's public schools.

 

Gryphon-
What is the basis for your negative opinion of the schools here?

 

Yeah - suboptimal. I was private schooled - it was THE WORST.

My kids? Let's look at The Boy at Va Tech:

Honors since middle school
AP thru high school
Math, music, math, science, music,...rinse, repeat.
National Honor Society
Tri-M
National Math Honors
Nobel National Honors
Eagle Scout
NROTC
VTCC
INVITED to the Military marching band & Jazz group
Va Tech Honors with early invite

I must ask, Gryph - are you a professional victim?

 

Altogether, LCPS schools did not make AYP in 49 (2.5 percent) of the 1,914 test cells measured by AYP as part of federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. As predicted by LCPS staff last spring, many of the test shortfalls involved limited English proficiency (LEP) students taking regular, grade-level tests instead of the alternate tests formerly accepted under No Child Left Behind.

 

Gryphon - I'd like for you to elaborate on this as well. My daughter is heading into 1st Grade this year and we could not have been more pleased with her Kindergarten experience at Hillside Elementary. I understand that she is early in the process, so I am curious to know what you believe are the shortcomings of the Loudoun Public School system (aside from what Lee detailed about kids getting moved from school to school as a result of rezoning, etc).

 

My daughter just went through Eagle Ridge and is starting Briar Woods next week. Her father and I could not have been more pleased with her education there. The administration and teachers are involved, professional and in my opinion as a parent of the school, top notch. She did very well, getting top marks in her SOLs even a perfect one in science. Even though she is an honors student and very bright, she performs as well as she is taught. I do believe she is well prepared for high school and Eagle Ridge is a big part of that for her.

 

I think we scared him.

 

Not scared-- he's probably just busy teaching his kids!!! Do they get a summer break?

 

Loudoun County schools are great! My son graduated 5th in his class of 350 and took all AP courses and was accepted at UVA, VA Tech, Wake Forest to name a few.......He choose to go to UVA and did VERY well there and Loudoun County schools prepared him well for college.

 

I probably should add that my son graduated in 2000. He didn't have all the changes that most kids are going thru now. He started out at Arcola Elementary, since there were NO elementary schools in Ashburn in 1988, he went on to Farmwell Middle which prepared him well for high school and then to Broad Run.

 

The kids tend to fare much better than their parents in the moves between schools. Our kids have moved (after moving here from CA - we won't talk about the bad school systems over there!) from Farmwell to Eagle Ridge, and from Broad Run to Stone Bridge, with another one starting at Briar Woods. We've been very happy with the results.

As far as post-high school preparation, we are happy with that as well. Two of our children are at JMU and are doing fine with honors-level courses, bands, and many other activities. They have been educated in Loudoun Co. since 7th & 5th grade.