By Jennifer Moody
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 12:00 am
LEBANON - Parents whose children are struggling in math at Lebanon High School plan to gather Sept. 10 at the school to talk with the Lebanon School Board about their concerns.
The agenda for the meeting, set for 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium, will be set and governed by parents. It will be attended by the board, but is not considered a board meeting and will not include board action.
Superintendent Jim Robinson declared an "academic emergency" last week over the state of the district's math program.
Parents filled Tuesday's school board meeting to capacity to discuss the program, prompting board members to ask to attend the Sept. 10 meeting to gather more data.
Several parents asked why the district let a decade of poor math scores slip by without declaring an emergency long ago.
Steve Wallace said he was particularly appalled to learn that 47 percent of last year's students had failed third trimester Algebra I.
In a business, he said, "If I had a 47 percent failure rate, I would be put on notice. Somebody needs to be accountable."
"Do you not know what to do, either?" parent Laura Baker asked at the meeting, directing her question to Robinson. "Does nobody know what to do?"
Baker filed a formal complaint last week with the district, saying she wants to see the math program "evaluated and improved."
Baker's daughter, who just began her junior year, was part of the 47 percent. Baker said her daughter began the class with a C and that neither child nor parent was informed of any downward slide until the end of the year, when she was told her daughter had failed.
Baker asked for a comprehensive look at math curriculum and instruction and better communication with parents. She'd like to see more placement tests, more higher math opportunities, and immediate intervention if a student's grade begins to drift past a C.
Several parents in the audience echoed Baker's comments, saying they had sought help for their children and been ignored or brushed off. Some said their children were told they couldn't transfer to a new teacher under the high school's "academy" system.
Robinson said the emergency declaration was declared to "increase urgency" over issues the district began tackling years ago.
Teachers have long been aware of the problem, he said. A math committee has been condensing state standards to create better targets for instruction. Teachers are meeting weekly to work out common grading criteria. Last year, some classes piloted identical end-of-course exams to assess what students had learned, an effort that will continue this year.
Future plans, Robinson said, will include after-school opportunities to help students catch up, and online access for parents to see their children's homework and grades.
"Everything you've had to say is taken to heart," he said. "I just want you to know we're not just beginning."
Baker said she feels she was heard, but wants to see immediate action, particularly for students like her daughter.
"I just hope they're not blowing smoke, I guess, and that they'll be sincere in what they need to do," she said. "Because we're not going away."