Opponents stood up at Tester bill Field Hearing
Wilderness advocates no show
By Barbara Bauerle
Dillon Tribune staff
A Field Hearing billed as "Montana's Wilderness Hearing" held at the University of Montana Ballroom in Missoula on Friday, Sept. 11, did not draw any proponents of Sen. Jon Tester's "Forest Jobs and Recreation Act of 2009."
Sen. Debby Barrett (R-Dist. 36) set up the hearing to gather comments from Montanans but the major players in Sen. Tester's bill didn't show.
According to Beaverhead County Commissioner Mike McGinley, the hearing was set up to gather Montanans' comments to send back to Washington D.C. on the bill.
Sen. Barrett said her constituents from Beaverhead and Madison counties are "frustrated" about "Tester's Wilderness bill," so the hearing was set up with a format to include four proponents and four opponents to the bill who were to take questions and collect written comments, but only the opponents showed up.
According to McGinley, there were approximately 60 people at the hearing. Both Sherm Anderson, president of Sun Lumber, and Trout Unlimited representatives called at around 2 p.m. on Friday and said due to the fact the hearing was on Sept. 11, they would not be attending as it was "inappropriate."
Sept. 11 is named Patriot Day to remember the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Both Tim Baker, executive director of the Montana Wilderness Association, and Sen. Jon Tester were absent as well as anyone from the senator's Montana office.
Sen. Barrett thought holding the hearing in Missoula would make it convenient for environmentalists in Montana to weigh in on the bill, but not one appeared.
"It seems odd to me that no one showed up for the pro-wilderness contingent." McGinley said.
Barrett said prior to the hearing that she was working with other legislators, elected officials and multiple-use groups throughout Montana, not just the southwest corner of Montana she represents. "If Sen. Tester won't hear the people, we will...," she said.
McGinley said Monday that his concerns about Sen. Tester's bill are essentially the same as his concerns about the Alternative Six Forest Plan for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest that the county is appealing. "The Partnership Strategy was used almost exclusively to set it up to the detriment of other groups," he said.
The Partnership is a group of several lumber companies, the Montana Wilderness Association and Trout Unlimited that proposed their own alternative to the forest plan as well as their own wilderness bill that sets aside wilderness as well as some areas for timber harvest.
In Sen. Tester's bill, there are several mentions of "local collaborative forest groups" that will manage the wilderness and handle appeals, McGinley said.
Beaverhead County's appeal on the forest plan has been consolidated with 55 other appeals. "All the appeals address violations of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) one way or another," he said.
The county is to get an answer regarding their appeal by the end of October, McGinley said.
BCHS one of only three A districts to reach Adequate Yearly Progress goals
By Barbara Bauerle
Dillon Tribune staff
The Beaverhead County High School District is one of only three Class A high school districts in the state of Montana to reach the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals set by the federal "No Child Left Behind Act."
According to a AYP summary for 2009, BCHS in Dillon made their AYP, along with Laurel High School in Laurel and Dawson High School in Glendive. Corvallis K-12 Schools in Corvallis were listed as holding at Improvement Year 1, while all other high schools in Class A were listed as not meeting AYP.
Superintendent Fred Chouinard had let the Beaverhead County High School Board of Trustees know the high school had met their goals at a recent board meeting; however, he was surprised when the Dillon Tribune informed him BCHS was one of only three schools in Montana to do so.
"The goal of Beaverhead County High School is to prepare students to succeed in school and in life," Supt. Chouinard said on Monday. "NCLB measurements such as AYP are one tool among the many that help us achieve that goal."
Under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act," schools are expected to meet state-set goals for AYP based on student achievement data collected from the annual CRT test that is administered to select grades (10th grade at the high school level).
Based on data from the latest 2009 CRT tests administered to the Beaverhead County High School 10th grade, BCHS students demonstrated AYP proficiency in both reading and mathematics. In reading, 89 percent of BCHS students were proficient as compared to a statewide average of 79 percent, Supt. Chouinard explained. In math, 76 percent of BCHS students were proficient as compared to a statewide average of 55 percent.
School district that receive Title I funding face sanctions if they don't make AYP for two or more consecutive years. Sanction severity increases for each year a school does not meet AYP and could ultimately lead to the state restructuring a school if targets are not met.
"Beaverhead County High School is proud of the efforts of its staff for implementing initiatives to maintain and improve student achievement, and wishes to thank the entire community for supporting us in meeting the needs of our students and school," Supt. Chouinard concluded.
Dillon elementary schools eye plan to achieve AYP
By J.P. Plutt
Dillon Tribune staff
School District #10, the Dillon elementary system that includes kindergarten through eighth grade, did not achieve the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks required of “No Child Left Behind.” School Board members and the administration are committed to rectifying deficiencies and making the grade this year.
SD #10 passed the reading requirement district-wide with flying colors. “Our reading scores are high, well over the standards, but our math proficiency is a little lower so we're looking at our curriculum,” said School District #10 Superintendent Glen Johnson.
In analyzing the data that graded the district for the 2008-09 school year, officials have noted that enrollment size relates directly to whether or not a district passed AYP.
Johnson noted that State Superintendent of Instruction Denise Juneau reported to the media that 75 percent of school districts in Montana met the AYP goals.
"Indeed they did, but if you look at the statistics, 61 percent of the kids in Montana didn't because the 'A' and "AA' school districts, where most of the kids are, only 18 percent of those districts made AYP," pointed out Johnson.
According to data available at the Office of Public Instruction website, none of the class "AA" school districts made AYP and only three "A" high school districts, three "A" elementary districts and one "A" K-12 district passed AYP. In all, the enrollment of "AA" and "A" districts that failed AYP is 86,565 or 61 percent of Montana's total enrollment of 142,078.
"I think it is certainly the district's goal to pass AYP and it is a concern anytime we don't meet that. It is something we would like to pass this year and in the future," said SD #10 Board of Trustees Chairman Mike Basile."I guess to me, not being professionally trained in education, I bring more of a layman's perspective to this. In my mind it is important to look at schools similarly structured to yours in size when doing comparisons."
The stumbling block with bigger schools comes with the treatment of subgroups within the student population. Those eight groups include economically disadvantaged students, various ethnic groups and disabled students. among others. If a subgroup fails to achieve the AYP standards, the school fails AYP, and if one school in a district fails AYP, the whole district fails AYP.
"The bigger schools with AYP, the subgroups come into play and if there are more than 30 students in the different categories that 'No Child Left Behind" has, each of those categories has to pass at a proficient level in order for the school or district to pass," explained Basile.
For SD #10, that subgroup the district needs to focus attention on is the economically disadvantaged group. Students on the free or reduced school lunch program are in the economically disadvantaged category. According to Johnson, 35 percent of the students district wide fall in the economically disadvantaged subgroup.
While SD #10 passed AYP district-wide when all students are included in the testing, the fifth grade subgroup and the sixth grade subgroup in the economically disadvantaged area failed to achieve the AYP standards. That comes with a bitter taste as both groups increased their scores from a year ago or did indeed show progress – the fifth grade by two percent and the sixth grade by five percent –but failed to meet the statewide standards.
"Our economically disadvantaged scores did come up and they call it Adequate Yearly Progress so I see that as if you're making progress you're doing good things," reasoned Johnson. The philosophy of the program is to lift all students to standards and SD #10 is ready to take on the challenge. "We are working very hard this year to beat these benchmarks," said Johnson. "We're going to target those kids that are struggling in math and we'll do our best to get them up there. We need help from parents in doing that and hopefully they’ll take advantage of the programs we’re offering out there.”
This is the second year SD #10 did not meet AYP kicking in a few minor penalties. The District has to dedicate 10 percent of their Title I monies to staff development and the district must offer after school tutoring for kids that are below the benchmark.
SD #10 held a meeting last week for Title I students from after school and before school tutoring. Only one parent took advantage and opted into the program.
Among the subgroups is the disabled student or “special education” students that must meet the same standards as the “regular” students according to Johnson.
As has been the case since “No Child Left Behind” became enacted, the standards are going progressively higher. After next year, the proficiency level for reading goes from 83 percent to 92 percent and the proficiency in math goes from 68 percent to 84 percent. In 2014 the standards for both reading and math go to 100 percent proficiency. Science joins the AYP mix in 2011.
“Statistically speaking nothing is perfect, but that is the goal of the federal government,” said Johnson. “I still think we’re doing a good job in the DIllon elementary school district. All of our scores except fifth grade math were above the state average.
Johnson is leary about teaching the test and focusing on math. He feels that type of focus invariably takes away from other subjects.
“That has bee the downfall, they say pretty soon all we’re going to be doing is teaching math and reading and we’re not going to be teaching the arts and music and all of that stuff is going to go out the window,” said Johnson. “In fact, that is already happening in some parts of the country.”
Posts
