School City of Hammond's efforts to improve test scores are drawing criticism from school board members and the public.
Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services Michele Riise reviewed the results of recent assessments during Tuesday's board meeting. On the SAT, just over 22 percent of students passed the reading and writing portion, while just over 1.2 percent passed the math portion. Less than half of School City of Hammond third graders passed the IREAD-3.
Riise said some of the plans for this school year include using the science of reading and various intervention programs, along with the creation of new curriculum maps. "This work is going to be valuable, user-friendly, provide the rigor we need to grow our students in their learning and provide consistency across the district," Riise said, describing the curriculum mapping process.
But improvements aren't coming fast enough for board member Carlotta Blake-King. "I've been on this board five years, and for five years, we have accepted the low increments of increasing in our kids' education," Blake-King said. "We have accepted it."
She pointed out that a new state law will soon require schools to hold back students who fail to pass the IREAD-3. Some board members also questioned how many math courses are actually being taught by licensed teachers.
Still, board member Cindy Murphy stressed that some of the planned interventions haven't been tried before in Hammond. "We need to allow our teachers and the principals and the support staff to do these implementations, and the proof is in the pudding with the next set of data," Murphy said.
But during public comment, parent Kelly Miller questioned how planned interventions like small group instruction would even be feasible. "How can you have a small group when you have 35 kids, and you need to maintain the whole classroom?" Miller asked. "How can you give four or five kids their undivided attention?"
She said her child has made a lot of progress, after switching to a private school. "When my eighth grader tested for a private school this year, she was at a fifth grade reading and math level," Miller said. "Can I tell you that she learned more in three days at her new school than she did in two years at middle school here."
