RSU 13 report details Oceanside West student performance
The most recent data released by the Regional School Unit 13 superintendent's office shows 48 eighth-grade students (31 percent) and 52 ninth-grade students (26.3 percent) enrolled in Oceanside West failed at least one subject during the 2011-2012 academic year.
The Courier-Gazette filed a written request under Maine's Freedom of Access law for all of the grades by quarter for the school year. RSU 13 provided the following data in response:
Eighth-grade results:
First Quarter
Students failing no subjects — 81
Students failing one subject — 23
Students failing two subjects — 18
Students failing three subjects — 14
Students failing four or more subjects — 11
66 students failed at least one subject in the first quarter, translating to 45 percent of the eighth-grade class.
Second Quarter
Students failing no subjects — 91
Students failing one subject — 26
Students failing two subjects — 12
Students failing three subjects — 7
Students failing four or more subjects — 11
56 total students failed at least one course in the second quarter, translating to 38 percent of the class.
Third Quarter
Students failing no subjects — 85
Students failing one subject — 19
Students failing two subjects — 19
Students failing three subjects — 12
Students failing four or more subjects — 12
62 total students failed at least one subject, translating to 42 percent of the class.
End of the year/Fourth Quarter
Students failing no subjects — 99
Students failing one subject — 12
Students failing two subjects — 10
Students failing three subjects — 12
Students failing four or more subjects — 14
48 total students failed at least one subject in the fourth quarter, translating to 31 percent.
Ninth Grade results
First Quarter
Students failing no subjects — 114
Students failing one subject — 22
Students failing two subjects — 26
Students failing three subject — 20
Students failing four or more subjects — 17
85 students total failed at least one course in the first quarter, translating to 42 percent of the class.
Second Quarter
Students failing no subjects— 120
Students failing one subject — 29
Students failing two subjects — 16
Students failing three subjects — 13
Students failing four or more subjects — 21
79 students total failed at least one course in the second quarter, translating to 36 percent of the class.
Third quarter
Students failing no subjects — 116
Students failing one subject — 31
Students failing two subjects — 24
Students failing three subjects — 12
Students failing four or more subjects — 16
83 students total failed at least one subject, translating to 41 percent of the class.
End of the year/Fourth Quarter:
Students failing no subjects — 147
Students failing one subject — 27
Students failing two subjects — 12
Students failing three subjects — 6
Students failing four or more subjects — 7
52 students total failed at least one subject, or 26.3 percent of the class.
Data first published in the July/August St. George town newsletter included the failure rates for Oceanside West during the second and third quarters. The St. George education committee reported at that time that in the second quarter, 52 percent of students in the eighth-grade were failing at least one course and 46 percent of ninth-graders were failing at least one course with the rate of both subject failures dropping to 41 percent in the third quarter.
The numbers reported by The Courier-Gazette at that time were obtained from the St. George Town Education Committee. The committee provided the data to be published in the town newsletter. Committee member Donald Choquette, a former RSU 13 school board member, said he received the information from Oceanside West Principal Lawrence Schooley.
Schooley said he had a discussion with Choquette, but did not give him any information. He said he doesn't know how Choquette arrived at his numbers — adding he may have inaccurately interpreted a school board presentation from March.
Choquette finished his term on the school board in mid-June and said he had initially raised the question of the performance of students in the eighth and ninth-grade school but did not share the data he received with other board members. He said he has not seen the final report of the Oceanside West grades for the 2011-2012 school year.
Schooley wrote a guest column to explain the data, published Aug.16.
There were differences in the original numbers reported by the committee to the data released on Sept. 10 by RSU 13. Variations in numbers were found in the numbers in Schooley's guest column and the RSU 13 report issued Sept. 10.
The information Schooley provided in August said 125 grades were failing grades out of a total of 1,280 grades given in the eighth grade for the year. The most recent report from RSU 13 said there were 135 failing grades out of the total 1,280 grades given in the eighth-grade. In the ninth-grade data, Schooley said 119 grades out of 1,670 total grades given were failing grades. The RSU 13 report said 122 grades were failing grades out of 1,670 grades given in the ninth-grade in the year. The figures were recalculated and the numbers from the most recent RSU 13 report are correct, Schooley said.
Twenty-six students in the ninth grade made up 41 credits in summer school. Summer school is only available to ninth-grade students due to limited funding and since ninth grade is considered the beginning of high school, scores are documented on transcripts, Schooley said. Eighth-grade students that don't meet academic expectations are entered into a coaching program and the school meets with parents.
Schooley reiterated that some students have difficulty in school unrelated to the classroom environment or pedagogical philosophy. He said outside factors and parental involvement and support are not available to all students, greatly affecting motivation and ability.
Courier Publications reporter Juliette Laaka can be reached at 594-4401 ext. 118 or via email at JLaaka@courierpublicationsllc.com.
By any measurement, these results are a sad commentary on our school system and our communities' children. Rather than offering gratuitous criticism, the schools, school boards, parents and community members need to shepherd children through their formative school years if we hope to help them achieve independent, satisfying lives.
I believe that the amount of effort a teacher puts into teaching their students effects their grades. Some teachers will push students not understanding the subject matter being taught off to the side and concentrate more on those that seem to understand what is going on. This is not the way things should be done. Equal effort to teach all students.
Respectfully, the reporter stated in her article that students were "given" grades. It is an inaccurate use of language here in that students are not "given" their grades: they EARN them. Being given something implies a gift (passive), whereas EARNING something implies activity or inactivity, i.e. effort on the part of the student. If a student ends up with a "failing" grade, he or she either did the work poorly or failed to do the work. So instead of implying that there is some kind of failure on the part of the school or teacher, we need to look at the source of the failing grade, which is more complicated than that.
I always told our children (as my parents had told me when I was a student) "school is your job; your report card is your paycheck." Work for pay, a very normal concept for most people. I wonder what the parents of the failing students are telling their children about responsibility for outcome.
For the large majority, I think responsibility is being taught. A majority of our students do well. Of course one must admit that there are MANY factors which affect student outcome, including but not limited to home environment, nutrition, adequate sleep before test days, family or personal stressors, etc . My point here is that: there are MANY factors in the equation, and we need to look at the whole picture before pointing an accusing finger at the schools.
I would hope that Mr. Choquette remember that. As for the reporter, it would be a good thing to choose words more carefully in describing a situation where "blaming" might occur due to words used.