Most N.H. schools fall short

For the first time since the federal government mandated standardized tests for all public school students at the beginning of the last decade, a majority of New Hampshire school districts are now considered in need of improvement. Yesterday, the state Department of Education put out its annual list of schools and districts that, based on standardized reading and math test scores, are deemed to need improvement. A school or district is given that distinction after failing to show proficiency two years in a row in the same academic area. The annual progress reports… 54

Near bottom, school plans revamp

Change is coming to Hillsboro-Deering High School, whether it's ready or not. Last week, school officials learned that the school is ranked fifth from the bottom among New Hampshire schools. A state report out yesterday showed students' performance on standardized tests this fall fell short of the state standard for proficiency in reading for the fourth year in a row and math for the second. This is not the job Hillsboro-Deering's new superintendent, Alan Genovese, signed up for. Genovese took over the district July 1. He talks fast, hardly stopping for breath,… 4

Collaboration station

With the help of more than $2 million of stimulus money, Pittsfield Middle High School is hoping to change its status as one of the lowest-performing schools in New Hampshire. The School Improvement Grant, which will give Pittsfield… 26

Official: Low test results expected

Fewer than three in 10 New Hampshire schools showed enough progress on fall tests to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law, but a state education official said that's no surprise. No Child Left Behind requires all students tested to show proficiency in reading and math by 2014, and so every two years the state increases the average score that qualifies a school as making "adequate yearly progress." Those benchmarks increased this year - jumping 24 percent for 11th-graders in math - making it harder than ever for schools to… 35

New classes show better test results

New Hampshire students showed improvement this year on standardized tests for math, reading and writing, but the results, released yesterday, continue to show fewer students achieving math proficiency as they progress through the grades. Officials at the state Department of Education touted the overall results of the 2009 New England Common Assessment Program tests, administered in October to students in grades three through eight and grade 11. State math and reading results for each grade level either increased or remained flat from last year, with 77 percent… 3

Letters a reminder of No Child choice

Parents of students at four Concord elementary schools that did not meet state benchmarks in reading or math can choose to send their children next year to four other elementary schools that did. Superintendent Chris Rath mailed letters to the parents this week reminding them of that option. The option allows for students at Beaver Meadow, Walker, Kimball and Rumford schools to transfer this fall to one of the city's other elementary schools: Broken Ground, Conant, Eastman or Dame. The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that the school district offer choice… 0

Six schools to face revamps

Six New Hampshire schools may be required to restructure after they failed to make adequate progress on state tests for the fifth year in a row. Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School and Winnisquam Regional Middle School are among those that may be forced to restructure the way their schools are run, reopen as charter schools or replace all or most of the staff, including the principal. Neither state education administrators nor school officials know exactly how the restructuring would work. This is the first year schools in New Hampshire have faced such harsh sanctions… 0

Five in Concord fall short

Five Concord schools have been designated "in need of improvement" for failing to meet state benchmarks in reading or math for the second year in a row. Students' test scores at Beaver Meadow, Kimball, Rumford and Walker elementary schools and Rundlett Middle School didn't pass muster. The state Department of Education released a report yesterday that showed 282 of the 474 schools whose students were tested in reading and math this past fall did not make adequate yearly progress. The testing is required by the federal No Child Left Behind law, which imposes sanctions… 0

Test scores

The federal Department of Education released scores yesterday for a national writing test, called the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), administered to eighth-graders last winter. Here's a look at New Hampshire's scores compared to national averages. • Thirty-nine percent of New Hampshire eighth-graders scored proficient or above on the test. • Thirty-one percent of students nationwide scored proficient or above. • Of the 46 jurisdictions that took the test, New Hampshire's eighth-graders scored higher than 37 jurisdictions, the… 0