O'Neill Public Schools

State of the Schools Report

    The Nebraska State of the Schools Report has been released for the 2010-11 school year.  The report can be accessed at www.education.ne.gov.  By typing in the name of any public school district in the state you can view a wide variety of information related to that district.  Demographics for O'Neill Public Schools for the 2010-11 school year looked like this as compared to the state:

    The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires all states to create their own high academic standards for all grades in reading/language arts and math.  The state sets annual targets for the minimum percentage of students who must meet or exceed standards on required statewide tests (NeSA R and NeSA M).  Students in grades 3-8 and 11 take these assessments each spring.  The minimum percentage of students expected to be proficient increases each year, with the ultimate goal of 100% of students meeting or exceeding standards by the 2013-14 school year.  The 2010-11 reading minimum percentage was 67% for the elementary grades, 70% for the middle grades, and 68% for the high school grades.  Math minimum percentages were 51% for the elementary grades, 50% for the middle grades, and 41% for the high school grades.  Performance on the state tests are compiled for all students at a particular grade level and also broken down into sub-groups in the areas of gender, poverty, ELL, race/ethnicity, migrant, and highly mobile.  Performance for the elementary grades is averaged between grades 3-6, for the middle school between grades 7 and 8, and the high school performance is based on grade 11. Progress is monitored for all of those groups from year to year.

    According to the 2010-11 State of the Schools report, O’Neill Public Elementary School has been classified as a Tier III PLAS (Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools) school.  If a school does not make AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) or the minimum percentage of student proficiency, with the same sub-group in the same subject for two years in a row, they are considered to be in school improvement and are included as a Tier III PLAS school.  The sub-group at the elementary school that has not made AYP for two consecutive years is the special education sub-group in the area of reading.

    Following the 2009-10 school year, when the sub-group did not make AYP, the district examined research-based reading programs that would meet the needs of all students at the elementary school.  After examination of numerous programs, it was determined that in order to meet the needs of all students, the district would adopt a dual reading program.  The 2010-11 school year was the first year of implementation for the new Reading Mastery and Treasures reading series.  The district also contracted with ERI to provide monthly training to teachers implementing the Reading Mastery program so that it is implemented in a way that will best meet the needs of all of the students.  We also provide the Developing Eagles after-school and summer program which extends student learning time for those attending.  The elementary staff is dedicated to helping all students achieve these high standards, and the district will continue to explore techniques and materials that will assist the staff and students reach this goal.  If you have any questions about the State of the Schools report or our district's performance on these standards, please contact Amy Shane at 336-3775.