Thursday, September 2, 2004

Newton: Summer school kids got smarter
By Megan Means, Tribune staff writer

Newton Learning released test scores from its Summer Adventure program that show students achieved academic gains in the first year Columbia Public Schools contracted with the private, for-profit company to run summer school.

School district officials said this morning they had not yet received any test scores from Newton. They plan to follow up this fall to see if improvements show up in their regular classrooms.

In a news release, Newton Learning said Columbia students’ scores improved 46 percent in reading and 40 percent in math, based on tests given at the beginning and end of the five-week session.

The curriculum, owned by Newton Learning, emphasized literacy and math along with science and social studies.

The news release did not show scores for each grade level or class subject. A Newton representative was not available for comment.

"We’re going to look at a random sample and compare students who went to summer school with students who did not go to summer school, and, hopefully, that will give us some good information,’’ said Cheryl Cozette, assistant superintendent.

"Newton did not make any specific promises’’ about student performance, Cozette said. "They did tell us that historically their students in their programs have made gains.’’

The company also promised to raise attendance, a strategy designed to boost the district’s share of state funding. More than 6,000 students in elementary and high school attended.

Cozette said average daily attendance was 90 percent for kindergarten through fifth grade, 84 percent for middle school, 86 percent for junior high and 94 percent for high-school students.

As an incentive, students who missed two days or less or had perfect attendance received $75 or $100 gift cards from Newton.

Local school officials estimated about $3 million in revenue from the summer program, while Larry Reynolds of Newton Learning has estimated the amount to be more like $5 million to $7 million.

Later this fall, the Board of Education will decide whether to keep the arrangement next year, Cozette said.

The company works with 67 other Missouri districts, including Fayette R-III schools. Mexico schools participated for three years before switching.

"It chafes a little bit to say we have to give prizes to get kids to come," said Ron Anderson, Fayette’s curriculum director, "but we do reach kids who weren’t coming to summer school before.’’

In Mexico, the district reaped about $1 million in state funds with the Newton system, but leaders decided to purchase a summer school curriculum they could use and modify as they pleased, Assistant Superintendent Sharon Waite said. This year, Mexico schools kept comparable attendance rates with prizes such as popcorn parties, movies and bowling.