Posted: 12:00 a.m. Monday, March 16, 2015

Students starting school behind

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

After nearly an hour presentation from the 10 principals in the Middletown City Schools District, one message was clear: Their students are starting every school year behind academically compared to other students around the country.

The principals updated the school board last week on the academic progress being made in the seven elementary schools, Highview Sixth Grade, Middletown Middle School, and Middletown High School.

Students are tested three times a year to see how they’re progressing from the beginning of the year to the end, said Sam Ison, school superintendent. He said students in grades kindergarten through second are growing academically more than one year in less than six months, what he called “enormous growth.”

He applauded the staff and students for the progress.

“We are seeing success,” said Ison, who added the goal is to grow students two grade levels in one school year. “That would be a tremendous, tremendous goal.”

For the district to reach its goals, students have to be better prepared for kindergarten, he said. That means parents should enroll their children in preschool or early childhood education.

When students begin kindergarten behind, they could struggle the rest of their years, the principals said. Even when students make great academic strides, the principals said, the progress isn’t enough to catch them up to their proper grade level.

Board president Marcia Andrew said there needs to be “a community effort” to find ways to reach parents before their children enter kindergarten.

Middle school Principal Michael Valenti added it’s “essential” to have parents in the building and helping their children succeed.

MHS Principal Carmela Cotter said by the time some students reach ninth grade, they’re 2 1/2 grade levels behind. It’s the goal of the high school to graduate its students and get their college/career ready, she said.

She said the high school is improving graduation rates from 79 to 85 percent in four years to 83 to 86 percent in five grades.

Another positive, she said, the students scored a 91 on reading, and 87 on writing and math.

“We are making progress,” she said.

Construction impacts calendar

The Middletown district tried to establish a two-year school calendar, but because of the pending renovations to the high school and the building of a middle school, officials decided to concentrate on the 2015-16 calendar.

The first day of school for students is Aug. 12, 2015 and the last day for students is May 24, 2016. Students will have a two-week break in December.

The district may change dates on the calendar due to new state testing requirements.

 

I dunno Vet---the "good ole days" of just sending your kids to kindergarten for the beginning is not enough now.

In the better more progressive systems, CARING, INVOLVED parents/families are prepping their children with pre-school and in-home involvemet so that when their children ENTER public schooling, they already have a fundamental experience with reading, writing, math and interaction with others + a "classroom" familiarity/experience.

We are seriously lacking in that regard here. Even with the very commendable MCF-sponsored Dolly Parton Imagination Library program available/offered, we are still far behind in early development.

Early pre-school development is standard today(parental responsibility for the greatest part). Parents simply can't expect the education system to be the sole entity in charge of their childrens' educational and social development. The local mantra of "my self-created do-nothing" situation is someone else's responsibility/problem is simply wrong, and is destroying our schools, city and improvement possibilities imo.

Vet buddy--it comes down to the family having to make the right choices with pre-school and school aged children. Any way that u cut it, the responsibility lies with the parents to position their children correctly however they can pull it off.

Kids' education vs.fiscal issues--a tough one, but honestly nothing new.
Parents cannot throw this off on anyone else unfortunately. They have to take the time and make the effort. You have to think that the future of their children is the most important goal.

SJ,
    I wish it was as simple to solve as you put it . Times now are very different for children. Their parents aren't the parents of other decades. We now have children having children. Many of those types of parents don't want their children but had them for the money. Many don't have a supporting spouse. Many of them don't even know or want to know how to cook for their children. So, their children go hungry , not well clothed , sickly, abused or ignored. That's all before the question of their children's education comes to life. They have to comply to send their children to school or they will be in court facing fines or jail time.  They did not have much education and apparently their parents  before them didn't get  their education so they don't see it as important as you and I do.
     So, anyway you cut it the responsibility lies with the education system that the government ( as usual) has no understanding of and bureaucrats make a great mess of it. That's why we need the federal government out of the eduation system and leave it to the state. Further, the state is almost as bad as the federal government . It would be better if each community was left to handle the local education system and we could get the politics out of education and get down to educating children regadless of the parent presence or absence. It would also allow us to get rid of  school board members who have other priorities than the education of children. It ultimately comes down to the teachers.
       I have great respect for teachers. Most of them are dedicated and come to love their students. Teachers will teach if we let them. Students will learn if we let them. As a matter of fact you cannot stop a child from learning.  From the time that we are born we are learning and it never stops. We either learn from our teachers who teach us good things or we learn from our teachers who teach us bad things but we learn.
        There are many of us who grew up in hard circumstances. I ended up in one of the finest children's home in the US and probably the world. After dealing with all of the baggage we were carrying our teachers told us that it didn't matter what our circumstances had been or are now if we wanted to learn they would help us learn. We got an education second to none. Parents had nothing to do with it. They taught us to get an education because we were either going to go on to college or work for some company or start a business or go into the miltary and that education would make things bettter, easier and more profitable whichever we chose. We were also taught morals, how to get along with people and to have a strong work ethic. All of which were considered to be part of our edcuation.
        There are many good parents who see to it that their children get these thing. Their are many who can't do these things and there are many who haven't the faintest idea of the importance of education for themselves or their children.  Many will never take the time or amke the effort and they will throw it off on others. Rememebr, when this nation was starting our immigrant parents were here in a new country. Theyu wer determined to succeed and they went to work anywhere they could find it and so our Public School system came into existencce. What a blessing it WAS. It was compulsory that reading, writing and arithmetic were mastered. So, thousands of children throughout the land grew up with education that helped them to start facories and businesses that made the greatest nation in the world - the  United States of America.
         Our country has slipped, our education system has slipped. We must all work hard for innocent children we bring into this world that we abuse and abuse and educate them to make our society better so that their children are not abused and they will get good educations.
          WE CAN CHANGE CHILDCARE LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY IF WE WILL MAKE UP OUR MIND TO DO SO!
          Paul Nagy
        

I have tried to stay out of the school district discussion because like Vivian it just makes my blood boil as well. Nothing that is said on here is taken to heart by the BOE it just falls on deaf ears. How many times do they need to hear that certain people within in the district are adversely effecting the district but they will not be fired.