Updated academic plan approved for Youngstown schools

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

Youngstown

State Superintendent Stan Heffner has approved an updated plan to get the city school district out of academic distress.

Though the plan in place since July 2010 focused on elementary schools, the updated document aims more at the district’s high schools.

The plan was approved last month by the city schools’ academic-distress commission and submitted to Heffner, state superintendent of public instruction.

It includes seven strategies:

Embed community partnerships.

Increase student choice.

Create credit flexibility, expand advanced placement and dual-credit opportunities and re- define distance-learning opportunities.

Provide principal professional development.

Develop up-to-date Ohio standards-based pre- kindergarten through 12th grade literacy, math, science and social studies plans.

Present regular school-finance reports to the commission.

Monitor single pre-kindergarten through ninth grade plan while a representative of the Ohio Office of School Turnaround monitors the high-school portion.

“I believe the seven strategies included in the Updated Plan provide a solid approach to improving student achievement,” Heffner wrote to commission Chairwoman Adrienne O’Neill. “It is my sincere desire that the community and the district clearly identify the underlying issues that lead to low academic performance, including low expectations and racial bias, and take bold steps to immediately remedy these issues.”

Lock P. Beachum Sr., school-board president, believes the district will be able to implement the elements of the plan.

“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult, but the cost, that’s something we have to look at,” he said.

The costs haven’t been determined, the board president said.

The updated plan was approved last month by a newly-constituted academic distress commission. Late last year, the state superintendent replaced two of the original members. Another member resigned.

The five-member commission was created in 2010 under an Ohio law that requires direct state involvement when a district receives a rating of academic emergency on its annual report card and has failed to make adequate yearly progress for four or more consecutive years.

Last year, the district moved up one rung to academic watch on the state report card.