69传媒

Federal

69传媒 Displaced by Storms Score Lower on State Tests

By Michelle R. Davis 鈥 September 19, 2006 5 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Gulf Coast students who were displaced to other states last year by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita scored significantly lower on state tests than their peers in those new states, according to data released by several states that took in large numbers of such students.

That outcome was expected. Federal education officials announced earlier this year that six states would get a reprieve from the No Child Left Behind Act for the 2005-06 school year when it came to counting the test scores of students displaced by the hurricanes. The waiver allowed those states to separate displaced students into their own subgroup that would not count toward making adequate yearly progress, or AYP, under the federal law.

But federal officials said last week that the waiver was a one-time deal. States will not be granted the same flexibility for the current school year, said Hudson La Force, a senior counselor to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

鈥淭here were good reasons to set up the subgroups for last year, but there are even more important reasons as we move through this school year to not have any exceptions, and to bring those students into the full accountability system,鈥 Mr. La Force said.

State and local officials appear to agree. According to Mr. La Force, none has approached the federal Department of Education about extending the waiver. Several state and local officials interviewed said it was important to include the displaced students in this year鈥檚 accountability measures.

鈥淭he ones that have remained we think are going to stay here,鈥 said Mitzi Edge, a spokeswoman for the 84,000-student Fulton County, Ga., school district, which took in 1,100 hurricane-displaced students and still had 800 at the end of the last school year. 鈥淭hey are now our students; we are not going to segregate them out and call them anything other than Fulton County students.鈥

From Texas to Tennessee, states that took in large numbers of students fleeing the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita saw test scores for those students that were considerably lower than for their other students. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas all received permission to discount displaced students鈥 test scores in calculating AYP, though the students were required to be tested.

Though Mississippi has many displaced students, the state, for technical reasons, did not apply for the waiver.

鈥淭he general trend we saw, no matter what the grade level, is that students displaced by the hurricanes were trailing behind students in Texas,鈥 said Debbie Graves Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not too surprising. Given the trauma these students have been through, testing is probably not at the top of their lists.鈥

An Effect on Morale

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools test students annually in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8, and at least once in high school. 69传媒 and districts must make AYP for their students as a whole and for specific subgroups of students, or face sanctions.

In Texas in the 2005-06 school year, 64 percent of displaced students in grades 3-8 and 10th grade passed assessments in reading/English language arts, compared with 85 percent of other Texas students. Forty-eight percent passed mathematics exams, while 76 percent of all other Texas students did.

In Tennessee, 83.7 percent of students in grades 3-8 scored at the proficient or advanced level on reading tests, and 81 percent were proficient or advanced in math. Tennessee has not yet released comparable numbers for other students in the state.

The reprieve from the federal government was important both for AYP calculations and for 鈥渢he attitude and morale of the staff,鈥 said Nadine Kujawa, the superintendent of the 58,000-student Aldine school district, near Houston, which took in 3,000 displaced students and still had 1,800 at the end of the last school year.

鈥淚t took the pressure off of them,鈥 Ms. Kujawa said. 鈥淚t really enabled them to focus on the children and the needs of the children, without worrying about what it was going to do to the test scores.鈥

In Georgia, officials sought the reprieve because students from the hurricane area had suffered 鈥渢remendous trauma,鈥 and many of them moved through several school systems before settling in one, said Dana Tofig, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Education. 鈥淥ur schools did a tremendous job in opening up their doors and their hearts to these kids, and we wanted to make sure there was nothing punitive about that,鈥 he said.

Seventy-four percent of displaced students in Georgia met standards in reading and language arts, compared with 84 percent of the rest of the state鈥檚 students. Sixty-seven percent of displaced students met standards in math, compared with 81.9 percent of other Georgia students.

Mr. Tofig said Georgia has no plans to ask for another year to separate displaced students鈥 test scores: 鈥淲e fully anticipate that the results of their tests will count toward AYP next year, and we鈥檙e ready for that.鈥

Grateful to Be in School

Though many states found that displaced students鈥 test scores were lower, some districts flourished anyway, Mr. La Force said. 鈥淭he other side of the story is that the displaced students and their schools have done some amazing things,鈥 he said.

In Mississippi, the Jackson County school district was able to make AYP for each of its 15 schools despite losing two schools to Hurricane Katrina, taking in 1,300 displaced students, and having to count nearly all of them, said Superintendent Rucks H. Robinson. Mr. Robinson said a majority of those displaced students were originally students in the 8,700-student district who were taken in by other local schools there.

The district educated students in shifts, held before- and after-school tutoring sessions, set up donation centers in school libraries where students could get items such as food and clothing, and provided five extra personal days for each staff member.

鈥淧eople worked hard, and they worked hard every single day,鈥 said Mr. Robinson. 鈥淥ur children worked hard. They were grateful for the opportunity to get back to school.鈥

A version of this article appeared in the September 20, 2006 edition of Education Week as 69传媒 Displaced by Storms Score Lower on State Tests

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates鈥攁nd detractors鈥攕ee a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP