The state Department of Education today cited Westport as having one of 149 schools in 34 districts that are not meeting the federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind law.
But Westport’s schools superintendent said the inclusion was not academic-related but resulted from one student failing to take a test.
The state’s education Web site said Bedford Middle School (BMS) failed in the “participation only” category.
Schools Supt. Elliott Landon told WestportNow that Bedford’s inclusion on the list resulted from a student with disabilities either being absent on a test day or not taking the test for some other reason.
We do know that this is about one student out of 48 students with disabilities that did not take some form of the 2002 CMT (Connecticut Mastery Test),Ӕ he said.
Landon said Westports inclusion on the list for a non-academic reason ғdemonstrates clearly only one of the many problems associated with the No Child Left Behind Act.”
He said school officials had just completed a review of the 2002 test results from Bedford and had spoken to Sarah Ellsworth at the state Department of Educations evaluation and research division.
ғAccording to Sarah, 48 students with disabilitiesђ were reported at BMS. We calculated that 45 of the 48 took the test, or 94 percent, Landon said.
ԓTo achieve 95 percent participation, we needed 46 out of 48 students to take the test. Of the three who did not take the test, we know that two were absent. We do not know the status of the third student.
Landon said the state official confirmed that 48 is the correct number of students with disabilities eligible for the CMT test at Bedford, combining sixth and eighth graders.
But he said she could not confirm the actual number of students attributed to BMS who took the test.
Landon added: ԓWhat complicates this further is that not all of the sixth graders who took the test at BMS had their scores attributed to BMS because the scores are attributed back to the school students attended for fifth grade in 2001-2002.
Obviously some of the sixth graders at BMS were fifth graders in another school in 2001-2002.Ӕ
Landon said the district will continue to pursue the issue with the state and that Ellsworth promised to get him more data by Monday.
There are no immediate federal or state consequences for the schools on the list, The Associated Press reported.
But if they fail to meet the requirements for two consecutive years they will be deemed “in need of improvement.” They will then be required to offer students extra tutoring or the opportunity to transfer to a higher-achieving school.
State officials stressed that schools on the list are not failing, but need to better serve every group of students.
