July 27, 2004
Albany - Dougherty County middle schools are having trouble meeting the state's progress report. In fact, there are five out of six public middle schools that are now on the Needs Improvement List.
Reuben Morgan transferred from a magnet school in Miami to Albany Middle School. The 12-year-old says, "I haven't been there yet, but I'm anxious to go there, really anxious, nervous and anxious."
Anxious to start seventh grade. Reuben adds, "It's a new school and a new environment."
But his new environment, Albany Middle School, did not meet the state's requirements on academic performance and the writing assessment, but did pass on test participation. Superintendent Dr. Sally Whatley, "It's an awesome task to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind."
The other middle schools that did not match up to the state's requirements, Dougherty Middle, Merry Acres Middle, Radium Springs Middle and Southside Middle. All these schools were on last year's list too, meaning they will now be labeled as a "Need's Improvement" school, giving parents a chance to transfer their kid.
The problem, there's only one middle school left Robert Cross Middle Magnet School. Dr. Whatley says, "We had very few parents who wanted to transfer their students out of those middle schools last year because we shared with them what progress the schools continued to make and we'll do that this year."
But what's keeping them from getting off the list? Dr. Whatley adds, "Two of the middle schools, the academic performance, students with disabilities, kept us from reaching the standard there."
And Robert Cross Magnet School doesn't have students with disabilities.
As for Reuben, seeing his new school on the list doesn't bother him. He smiles, "It's okay to me as long as it's a good school that's ready to teach me what I need to be taught."
Dr. Whatley says each middle school made some sort of progress over the past year, but Reuben's parents say if they don't see more improvements later, they will transfer him to the Magnet School.
Monroe High School was the only high school in Dougherty County that did not meet the state's requirements.
Here's the Dougherty County Public Schools List:
Did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress:
Albany Middle School
Dougherty Middle School
Merry Acres Middle School
Monroe High School
Radium Springs Middle School
Southside Middle School
Did meet AYP:
Albany High School
Alice Coachman Elementary School
Dougherty Comprehensive High School
Jackson Heights Elementary School
Lake Park Elementary School
Lamar Reese Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary Magnet
Magnolia Elementary School
Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School
Mock Road Elementary School
Morningside Elementary School
Northside Elementary School
Radium Springs Elementary School
Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet
Sherwood Elementary School
Sylvandale Elementary School
Sylvester Road Elementary School
Turner Elementary School
West Town Elementary School
Westover High School
posted at 6:05PM by kathryn.simmons@walb.com
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