PCHS sets higher standards, offers help to reach them

For the first time in several years, Pinckneyville Community High School has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) school-wide. AYP is a measurement defined by the No Child Left Behind Act that allows the Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing according to results on standardized tests.

For PCHS, the standardized test is the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) which is given each April to Juniors along with the ACT. There are two parts to the test- college readiness and career readiness.

Principal Dustin Foutch, who shared the good news, said schools that make AYP show about a 7.5 percent gain in test scores in reading and math across all sub-groups. The scores show which students are performing at grade level. The goal of the NCLB is to have 100 percent of students performing at grade level.

In 2012 PCHS' composite ACT score was 20.1, exactly average for Illinois. The state and national averages have been publicized, but individual districts have not yet received their composite scores for 2013. Illinois' composite is 20.6 and the nation's is 20.9 for 2013.

Foutch said he expects a significant improvement in the district's composite score, based on all sub-groups making AYP in both reading and math.

PCHS has been working very hard to better prepare students for college or the workplace. The district's motto is 'Excellence in Education-- No Excuses.'

"A lot of districts look for someone else to blame when test scores are low. They say the divorce rate is too high or Hip Hop music is a bad influence," Foutch said. "If we wait for the divorce rate to go down and kids to start listening to classical music, we'll be waiting a long time."

PCHS is not waiting. This year the district has done away with the block schedule and returned to a traditional eight class schedule for students. Foutch said that over a year's time, that adds up to an additional six weeks of classroom time for each subject.

The final class of each day is either an advanced placement class or a small-group study hall. The study halls are for five to seven students. The instructors spend their time making sure homework is done and students are performing to the best of their abilities.

Those with difficulties can take advantage of free after-school tutoring each day. There are two math tutors and one general education tutor available daily.

Students who performed well last year were given an advanced placement Social Studies, Science, Foods or Fitness class designed to prepare them for college. If overall performance suffers, students will be moved from the advanced placement class back to a study hall.

Foutch said that the study halls are divided by grade level. Special attention is being given to freshman students. Statistically, if a freshman student has a 'C' average, they have only a 70 percent chance of graduating on time. It's a critical year and the study hall instructors for freshman are working together to give the best support possible and intervene early.

Two other changes to improve performance address the needs of special education students. Those students are now evaluated every two weeks so help can be given in a timely manner.

The district began offering a cooperative education class for special education students where they can gain work experience. Instructor Diane Plumlee created the program, which is a partnership with Tri-County Education. Tri-County has access to funds to reimburse employers.

Foutch said McDaniels' Furniture participated in the new co-op program last year. He was happy to see that their co-op student was still employed there this summer.

The second week of September, PCHS students will be given the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) test. They will be tested again midway through the year and for a third time at the end of the year. MAP testing will help teachers track individual progress.

All of the new policies and programs are labor intensive, Foutch said. The faculty at PCHS deserves the credit for the improved test scores.

"All the plans and policies won't do any good if teachers aren't working their butts off in the classroom," Foutch said. "We're lucky to have wonderful teachers."