Pep rally held to help Alma Schrader students get ready for MAP tests

Students at Alma Schrader Elementary get one chance each year to run through the halls of their school. On Monday, that day came.

With 10 Southeast Missouri State University football players lined up, the third- and fourth-graders ran though the halls slapping hands and clapping. The run capped off an hour-long pep rally to build excitement for the Missouri Assessment Program testing, which starts for most areas schools today.

The window for statewide testing opened Monday and schools will be administering the test periodically throughout the next four weeks.

Last year, five Cape Girardeau schools, five Jackson schools and two Scott City schools did not meet the yearly progress goals set by the state. In Cape Girardeau, two schools faced sanctions because they receive Title 1 funding, federal money to assist low-income students.

Jefferson Elementary students were eligible to transfer to other schools within the district because the school failed to meet progress standards. Tutoring was offered at Central Middle School because of sanctions imposed there.

Middle school principal Mark Kiehne said the school is continuing with afterschool study sessions, or MAP academies, to prepare for the test. He said 250 students signed up to stay two hours after school for the program, which will be held four times during the next two weeks.

"It makes me feel really good, the amount of excitement that's building around a hard test," he said of the program, which is in its second year.

Last year, 57.5 percent of schools did not meet the adequate yearly progress standards statewide. The number of Title 1 schools receiving sanctions increased from 204 to 345.

In Jackson, the middle school and high school were required to implement a school improvement plan after failing to meet progress goals. They did not face sanctions because of their non-Title 1 status. Middle school principal Rodney Pensel said the improvement plan included professional development for special education teachers. Special-education students were the only group that failed to meet the progress standards, which he said are unfair to those students.

"That's about like taking someone with a severe heart problems into a gym and telling them to run laps," he said.

Throughout the district, teachers did more assessments throughout the year to get students used to taking longer tests.

"So hopefully that takes away some of that fear factor of seeing that test," said Dr. Rita Fisher, assistant superintendent of the Jackson School District.

This year, 59.2 percent of students in a school must score proficient or advanced on the communication arts test to make adequate progress. For math, it is 54.1 percent. The progress standards increase every year and by 2014, 100 percent of students are expected to meet them.

In Scott City, middle and elementary schools were required to implement an improvement plan because of their failure to meet progress goals last year.

Elementary principal Courtney Kern said their performance made the school more aware of necessary improvements, mainly teacher communication. She said teachers did more assessments at the beginning of the year to see which skills needed more focus. Teachers also sent weekly newsletters home to parents to make them aware of learning goals.

"We know that this is a snapshot that may show we're great or this snapshot may show we have some more work to do," she said.

Kern said students are more comfortable with the test than in years past. After visiting classrooms the day before the test, she said students seemed less stressed.

"One was nervous they might not have a snack," she said. "And I said, 'Well we've got that taken care of.'"

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

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