Nine district schools ‘Superior’
Nine schools in the Indian River School District were classified as “Superior” when the State of Delaware released its 2010 school accountability ratings on July 30.
East Millsboro Elementary, Frankford Elementary, Georgetown Elementary, Long Neck Elementary, Lord Baltimore Elementary, Selbyville Middle, Phillip C. Showell Elementary, Southern Delaware School of the Arts and the Howard T. Ennis School all achieved the highest possible rating on the state’s accountability system.
“Having nearly two-thirds of our schools receive ‘Superior’ ratings is a significant accomplishment for our district,” Superintendent Susan Bunting said. “In a year where the number of top-rated schools fell sharply across the state, we have maintained a high level of performance at most of our facilities. I would like to commend our teachers and staff for their hard work in addressing the academic needs of every child.”
Accountability ratings are based on a formula that determines if a school achieves “Adequate Yearly Progress.” The formula is based on the percentage of students who achieve proficiency in the English/language arts and math portions of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP). It also takes into account high school graduation rates, the percentage of students who participated in the state assessment, and improvement among elementary and middle school students who did not previously meet the standards. To achieve Adequate Yearly Progress, a school must meet performance targets in 37 assessment areas.
The Indian River School District’s ratings were bolstered by students’ performance on the 2010 DSTP. Calculating the percentage of students who met or exceeded state performance standards, IRSD students in Grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 surpassed the state average in every content area. Scores were especially strong at the fifth-grade level, where students ranked first in the state in reading and math, district officials noted.
“Unfortunately, some of our schools did not achieve ‘Superior’ ratings in 2010,” Bunting said. “This is a concern for our district. The Department of Instruction will work with staff from each school to identify the areas of weakness and formulate plans to improve student performance. We are confident that the ratings and test scores will show significant improvement in 2011.”
Sussex Central High School improved its rating in 2010 from “Academic Watch” to “Academic Progress.” Sussex Central’s administrative team and staff are targeting interventions to move from a School Improvement classification to a “Commendable” or “Superior” rating.
