Federal guidelines: Most Carson schools don't make adequate progress

The majority of Carson City schools, including the high school, fell short of making adequate yearly progress last year, leaving them one year to improve or face federal sanctions.

Although every school in the district met federal standards as a whole, most had subpopulations that did not. Those schools are being placed on a watch list.

If a school fails to make adequate yearly progress two years in a row, it falls into needs improvement status and parents may choose to send their students elsewhere.

Empire Elementary School fell into the needs improvement category this year.

Fritsch and Bordewich-Bray elementary schools made adequate yearly progress.

Under the federal guidelines of No Child Left Behind, schools must show adequate yearly progress among all categories of students, which include ethnic groups, special education, low-income and English-as-a-second-language students.

If one group is not improving, the whole school fails. And one student may be counted more than once.

For example, if a Hispanic student enrolled in English as a second language, who is also living in a low-income home, scores poorly, that score will be counted four times.

Superintendent Mary Pierczynski said she was encouraged that each school passed as a whole, but plans are under way to increase achievement among special education and limited-language-proficient students, the two groups that struggled most.

"This law is a very demanding and comprehensive law," she said. "It's important to keep in mind that our philosophy has always been to bring all children along. We never intended to leave any child behind."

State results are scheduled to be released to the public Friday.