More Wisconsin Schools Failing

I guess we need to increase spending.

The federal government’s escalating academic standards snagged a growing number of schools this year, with 156 Wisconsin schools and four school districts unable to meet the progress goals established by the state for the 2007-‘08 school year, the state Department of Public Instruction announced today.

In addition, 56 schools were “identified for improvement” - a designation that triggers sanctions among schools that receive federal aid for low-income students - for missing the state-set standards for two or more years in a row.

MPS had the highest representation of schools singled out for missing at least one of four academic markers that range from student performance on math and reading tests, participation rates on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations and attendance or graduation rates in the 2007-‘08 school year.

For the second consecutive year, MPS also was listed as a “district identified for improvement,” a designation that led to the state requiring MPS to agree in 2007 to a plan for improvement that includes more training of principals of low-performing schools and more focus on how instruction is provided in those schools.