By Cliff White
Staff Writer
Both Gorham area and School Administrative District 6 (SAD 6) schools are measuring up to Maine state averages, according to assessment data released Nov. 27 by the Maine Department of Education showing how the two schools stacked up against the rest of the state.
A list of Maine public schools shows Bonny Eagle High School students on par with state averages in reading, writing and math, while students at Gorham High School scored above the state average in all three components.
The total number of Maine schools which failed to make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act and are listed as “priority” schools increased this year from 93 to 94 schools, though averages on test scores increased, according to the released figures.
Students in third through eighth grades were tested by the Maine Education Assessment (MEA) tests. The Department of Education used the Maine High School Assessment, or a combination of the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and a math augmentation, to come up with its scores.
“It’s just one test – we use one day of testing to come up with one year of data – so I would never encourage anyone to say this is the end of the story,” said Maine Department of Education SAT Coordinator Dan Hupp. “We try not to paint the results of the assessment as a horse race.”
Rachelle Tome, director of accountability in school improvement for the department of education, said the scores may not reflect school programs which have recently been put in place.
“Curriculum changes may take a couple of years to start to see a difference,” Tome said. “Sometimes just having your school’s status printed in the newspaper doesn’t provide the complete story.”
Tome said the scores provide parents and school administrators the ability to see how their school is doing.
“The scores say that there’s quite a range in Maine,” Tome said.
In order to make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, every participating grade level, as well as a number of subgroups, must meet the proficiency standard – 95 percent of all students must also participate in the test for the school to achieve adequate yearly progress.
Hupp said Bonny Eagle High School was at state averages in reading, writing and math. Hupp said Gorham High School was above average in its scores.
“Bonny Eagle did about average across the board,” Hupp said. “Gorham was among the top 20 schools in each category.”
Hupp said while he couldn’t see any correlation in the state between a school district’s geographic location and its scores, there was a more defined connection with a district’s wealth.
“It’s hard to make generalizations about if a school is big or small, or if it’s located in a rural or urban setting, whether that will affect its scores,” Hupp said. “But unfortunately, there is a clear socio-economic indicator revealed in the districts and their scores. You’ve got to tell it like it is, typically more affluent communities get higher scores on our tests.”
Hupp said the department of education was hoping to lessen the socio-economic gap, and that No Child Left Behind was an important part of the solution.
“We’re trying to provide a level playing field,” Hupp said. “The more affluent kids can do prep programs, get tutors, but now we encourage everyone to get involved, as well as teachers and administrators. We now pay for the price of the test itself, as well as providing free test preparation materials on our Web site.”
Hupp said the socio-economic gap is not universal.
“You can find little nuggets of schools who do well, who buck the trend,” Hupp said.
The No Child Left Behind Act is well-intentioned, Hupp said.
“It really means what it says,” Hupp said. “If a school is put on the ‘priority’ list, the state comes to work with you. It brings help. The only punitive part of the process is being named to the list.”
Hupp said he would like to see the process become even more supportive and less punitive.
“The program should make statements of support,” Hupp said. “It should say to schools with lower scores, ‘We’re not going to beat you up. We want you to make progress and we want to know what can we do to help you.’”
Hupp said Maine was in the front wave of finding solutions to educational difficulties.
“Compared to other states, I think Maine is in very good stead,” Hupp said. “We have some of the most rigorous standards out there.”    
Detailed test results can be located at the Department of Education’s Web site, www.maine.gov/education.