Fischer Students May Soon Be Able to Transfer to Jefferson Due to Federal NCLB Provision

Parents who have been upset about the changes at Conrad Fischer Elementary School may have another option next school year: sending their children to Jefferson Elementary on the south side of Elmhurst.

This option, however, is not a result of parents' recent complaints about District 205 protocol at Fischer. It is a mandate included in the Federal government's No Child Left Behind law.

"The parameters of No Child Left Behind have finally caught up to us," Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Charles Johns told a packed Fischer gymnasium Tuesday night. "The outcome is not necessarily desirable, but it affords families rights and opportunities we have to present to you."

NCLB was passed in 2002 to narrow the achievement gaps between various subgroups of students—including low-income, special education and ethnic groups—and the rest of the school population. Fischer has a higher proportion of these subgroups than other District 205 schools, and therefore had a more difficult time meeting state standards for improvement. 

NCLB was built with "a punishment paradigm," Johns said. Consequences were assigned to schools and districts that did not have enough students meeting or exceeding state standards, or making adequate yearly progress (AYP). Families in schools that fail to make AYP two years in a row must be offered an opportunity to transfer into a school that did make AYP; in Elmhurst, based on preliminary data, the only elementary school making AYP is Jefferson.

"In many districts, all schools failed to make AYP," Johns said, adding that according to early calculations, Jefferson likely met AYP in 2012-13 with a little more than 92.5 percent of its students meeting or exceeding state standards last year.

He said for the 2013-14 school year, 100 percent of students at all schools will be required to meet or exceed state standards in order to achieve AYP, a goal that is "nearly unattainable" for any school, Johns said.

So how would implementation of school choice affect class sizes at Jefferson? 

Jefferson can hold about 82 additional students, but class sizes would increase, District 205 Superintendent David Pruneau said.

"The government disregards class size as a factor" in school choice, he said. Increasing class size increases risks associated with health and safety at Jefferson, "and we don't plan on doing that … but we would have to maximize even our district class size targets under this scenario to accommodate students."

Current class size targets are 25 students per class for primary grades, 27 for intermediate. Some classes in the district exceed these targets slightly.

The district also will be obligated to pay about $80,000 to bus students from north Elmhurst to Jefferson, which is located at Crescent and Poplar in south Elmhurst. Busing would be discontinued for those students, however, if Jefferson fails to make AYP next year or if Fischer does make AYP.

A letter will be sent out to parents in the coming weeks explaining their option for transfer, the implications of transfer and why this choice may soon be open to them. 

Priority for transfer would go to underperforming students who are most financially needy, and eventually open up to other students at the school.

Students would be able to stay at Jefferson through their last year of elementary school, even if Jefferson doesn't make AYP next year, but they still would attend Churchville for middle school. They would also lose access to any other programs offered at Fischer, but would still have access to special education where needed. 

The board and administration want parents to know about school choice early on, but it's not the only option the district is examining. A lot still can happen, Johns said. The district also could open a "magnet school within a school," or the State Board of Education may finally receive the NCLB waiver it has applied for.

"Fischer got caught in a system structured to really have no way of succeeding," Johns said. "This was just a matter of time. It's a very difficult circumstance that doesn't tell the story of the great work that's going on here at Fischer."

While school choice was a big part of the district's presentation to parents Tuesday night, when it came time for dialog, of the many parents who chose to speak, few voiced questions, concerns or comments about school choice. 

Overwhelmingly, parents wanted to talk about reversing the changes made recently at Fischer, including the transfer out of four teachers and the addition of state-mandated bilingual classes at the school, which parents feel has led to segregation of students. They asked about the Engligh language learners program and how students are selected to be in that program, and how to work together with district officials to improve Fischer's image. And, they had done their own research into the best ways to be in compliance with state mandates regarding bilingual education and not have to separate students based on race or language.

An article detailing concerns brought forth by Fischer parents Tuesday night will be published Wednesday on Elmhurst Patch.

Related: Parents Claim Racial Tensions and Segregation Affecting District 205