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Editorial |
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Lincoln schools show steady improvement Oct. 10 - Congratulations to six Lincoln County schools meeting the “School of Distinction” criteria by having 80 percent of students meeting proficiency standards: North Brook, Pumpkin Center, Rock Springs and Union elementary schools and Pumpkin Center Middle School. The top performer was Rock Springs, with 86.7 percent of its students meeting or exceeding the standards. Besides the students themselves, credit goes to the principals and teachers for this very important achievement. Lincoln Charter School has also earned the “Distinction” status. Making good test scores is a measure of education quality, but not the bottom line. We agree with Charter School Principal Bill Elmore, who put them in perspective: “It is just a side effect of our program,” he said when commenting on the achievement. That sentiment is shared by many parents and teachers throughout all of our schools who want to see students excel but who believe a good education is much more than a test score. It is a product of the interaction between teacher and student as well as the interaction among the students in the classroom. While scores at seven elementary schools showed improvement, scores dropped at three schools: Battleground Elementary, Catawba Springs Elementary and Iron Station. East Lincoln Middle was down slightly over the previous year. All three high schools showed improvement. The big picture shows a slow, but steady improvement for the entire school district in Lincoln County. School officials offer a footnote about a “transient population” when they talk about some of the lower performing schools. Hispanic students, who are enrolling in increasing numbers at G. E. Massey, Battleground and S. Ray Lowder but whose stay may be limited, are beginning to have a negative impact on test scores. Lincoln has yet to produce a “School of Excellence,” the top shelf of ABC categories where 90 percent of students are at or above grade level. Some of the schools are very close, however, and can be expected to reach that goal soon. Rock Springs Elementary was very near that mark. Statewide in the 2000-01 school year, 171 schools were identified as “Schools of Excellence.” Only 12 schools received the recognition when the ABCs program was instituted in the 1996-97 school year. Nearly one-third of all schools had at least 80 percent of students at or above grade level last year. (Lincoln is close to that percentage level). That compares to less than 10 percent of schools in 1996-97. School performance under the ABCs plan allows for incentive bonuses for teachers and assistants at schools with improving scores. Incentive awards totaling $75.5 million will be distributed to 56,313 certified personnel and 16,422 teachers assistants in the state.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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