Moses Lake schools need improvement

Moses Lake High School improves 15 out of 17 areas

MOSES LAKE — Two schools in the Moses Lake School District need improvement in math, according to a preliminary report from the state superintendent's office.

Columbia Basin Secondary and Moses Lake High School did not make adequate yearly progress requirements in certain categories for the 2005-2006 school year. The progress requirements are based on Washington Assessment of Student Learning scores, which are released tomorrow.

Schools must make adequate progress in up to 37 categories to be considered compliant with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The categories identify student populations in relation to their progress in reading and math. Students are categorized into groups such as special education, low income, limited English skills and race.

In 2005-2006, Moses Lake High School did not make adequate yearly progress in math for its low income and Hispanic populations. Columbia Basin Secondary did not make adequate yearly progress in math for all of its students.

"Mathematics is definitely a statewide issue," said Michelle Price, assistant superintendent of the district. "Kids don't like math. You've got to keep them encouraged and interested in math."

Price said even her 13-year-old daughter is starting to gripe about the subject.

One problem with the high school's structure is students can take math during fall of their freshman year and not take it again until their junior year. Price said the district is now trying to ensure students are at a higher level of math before they take the WASL their sophomore year.

The district also must find a way to connect students with math, she said.

At the middle school level, the district hired a math coach this year to make sure teachers are bringing students to their grade level expectations.

"Our teachers are working darn hard and are really wanting to see kids be successful," Price said.

Moses Lake High Principal Dave Balcom said this year for the first time, the district is requiring students to take three years of math to graduate high school.

Language can be a barrier to success in math for students who are not native English speakers, Balcom said.

"Sometimes it's not a math test issue, sometimes it's a language acquisition issue," he said.

Although the state outlines 37 categories in which schools must make adequate progress, the number of students in each category determine how many categories are required at a school. Moses Lake High School is required to make adequate progress in 17 categories for the 2005-2006 school year. The school met standard in 15 of those, an improvement over the prior year, Balcom said. The proficiency rate is about 88 percent.

"Obviously, that would indicate we're not a failing school," he said.

The dropout rate is another category high schools must make progress in. In 2003-2004, too many students dropped out of Moses Lake High School, but in 2005-2006, the school made adequate progress in that category.