ANDERSON — Public Law 221 results for 2008 were issued from the Indiana Department of Education on Wednesday and local systems either stayed the same from 2007 or dropped down a category. Only Alexandria Community School Corporation moved up, and Frankton-Lapel Community Schools slipped the furthest.

The state trend is running downward as more Indiana schools have slipped into academic watch and probation status, according to an Associated Press report.

State Superintendent Tony Bennett said Wednesday that teams of three to five people will recommend changes in schools that are entering their fourth year of academic probation. Those schools have been in that category since state rankings began in the 2005-2006 school year.

No school in the county falls in that category. Locally, South Side Middle School in Anderson has been on probation three years in a row but will be closing before next fall. Robinson Elementary, also slated to close, was on probation but had been in the academic progress category in 2007.

The Herald Bulletin was able to reach Anderson Community Schools Superintendent Mikella Lowe and school board president Teddy Bohnenkamp, but both declined to comment saying they had not seen the PL 221 results.

Only one other school in Madison County was on probation, Elwood Community High School. The previous two years, the high school had been on watch and was on probation after the 2005 year.

The new ranking didn’t sit well with Tom Austin, Elwood’s superintendent.

“We’re disappointed in the high school,” he said. “It’s been there before and come up.”

Austin said a new freshman transition program will begin this fall for incoming high school students “to turn the corner.” He also said the school system would be installing curriculum improvements to help student performance.

“We’re seeing some improvements,” Austin noted. Edgewood Elementary School and Elwood Community Middle School both moved up from watch to academic progress.

South Madison saw its corporation category fall from academic progress to watch. The jewel at South Madison, East Elementary, was exemplary as it’s been three of the four years.

“All three elementaries (East, Pendleton and Maple Ridge) are at or above 80 percent (ISTEP) passing,” said Tom Warmke, South Madison’s superintendent.

Pendleton Elementary fell to watch from academic progress and Maple Ridge stayed the same at academic progress.

“We always try to do better,” said Warmke. “We take this seriously.”

Frankton-Lapel plunged from exemplary in 2007 to watch this year. Both Frankton schools and the Lapel Middle School were rated watch, while Lapel High School and Lapel Elementary were exemplary.

A message was left for Superintendent Bobby Fields but not returned.

Alexandria saw its ranking go up from academic progress to commendable.

Shenandoah was exemplary as a corporation and only the high school was ranked below exemplary with a rating of watch.

“We’re proud of our accomplishments,” said Shenandoah Superintendent Ronald Green. “We don’t take too long to celebrate, and it’s back to work.”

Green said teachers are aligning their curriculum to accomplish state standards, and added that it’s more difficult to align the curriculum at the high school level.

“At the elementary level, standards are clear, he said. “They’re not as clear at the secondary level.”

Elsewhere, Daleville maintained the watch rating it got in 2007 and Madison-Grant stayed the same at academic progress. Summitville Elementary School, however, was rated exemplary, moving up from academic progress in 2007.

Bennett also said Wednesday he wants to reward schools that are improving on measures such as graduation rates. He said he would announce a program as early as next week that would give schools “real incentives” to improve using a “significant” amount of money the Department of Education has saved in its budget.

More details on that program will be announced soon, Bennett said.

“We’re very excited about that,” he said.

New 2008 state data released Wednesday show that about 70 percent of public high schools, 64 percent of public middle schools and 35 percent of public elementary schools fell into the state’s lowest two categories — academic watch and probation.

About a quarter of Indiana’s public schools fell into a lower category in 2008 than 2007. And about 19 percent moved into higher categories, while the rest stayed in the same tier.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.



Public Law 221

What is Public Law 221?

Indiana’s Public Law 221 was passed by the General Assembly in 1999 to establish major educational reform and accountability statewide.

Annually, schools are placed in one of five categories based on percentage of students who pass ISTEP English and math tests, improvement in the passing percentage of students and federal

adequate yearly progress status.

The Public Law 221 categories are:

• Exemplary progress

• Commendable progress

• Academic progress

• Academic watch (priority)

• Academic probation (high priority)

Source: Indiana Department of Education



The following is a list of all schools in The Herald Bulletin’s coverage area. All Indiana school corporations and individual schools were given a Public Law 221 ranking for 2008, released Wednesday. Those rankings are shown as are the 2007 rankings.



Alexandria Community School Corporation - commendable, 2007 - academic progress

Alexandria-Monroe High School - academic progress, 2007-watch

Alexandria-Monroe Intermediate - academic progress, 2007 - watch

Alexandria-Monroe Elementary - watch, 2007-academic progress

Anderson Community School Corporation - watch, 2007-watch

Anderson High School - watch, 2007-academic progress

Edgewood Elementary School - academic progress, 2007- academic progress

Forest Hills Elementary School - exemplary, 2007- exemplary

Tenth Street Elementary School - academic progress,. 2007- watch

Valley Grove Elementary School - exemplary, 2007-academic progress

Highland Senior High School - watch, 2007-watch

Killbuck Elementary School - academic progress, 2007-academic progress

East Side Middle School - watch, 2007- watch

North Side Middle School - watch, 2007-watch

South Side Middle School - probation, 2007-probation

Eastside Elementary School - commendable, 2007-commendable

Robinson Elementary School - probation, 2007- probation

Southview Elementary School - academic progress, 2007-exemplary

Anderson Elementary School - academic progress, 2007-watch

Erskine Elementary School - academic progress, 2007-academic progress

Elwood Community School Corporation - watch, 2007-watch

Elwood Community High School - probation, 2007-watch

Elwood Community Middle School - academic progress, 2007-watch

Edgewood Elementary School - academic progress, 2007-watch

Oakland Elementary School - watch, 2007-watch

Frankton-Lapel Community Schools - watch, 2007-exemplary

Frankton Jr-Sr High School - watch 2007 - exemplary

Frankton Elementary School - watch, 2007 - academic progress

Lapel Sr. High School - exemplary, 2007 - watch

Lapel Middle School - watch , first year as a school

Lapel Elementary School - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary

South Madison Community School Corporation - watch, 2007-academic progress

East Elementary School - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary

Pendleton Heights High School - watch, 2007- watch

Pendleton Heights Middle School - watch, 2007- watch

Pendleton Elementary School - watch, 2007 - academic progress

Maple Ridge Elementary School - academic progress, 2007 - academic progress

Daleville Community Schools - watch, 2007 - watch

Daleville Elementary School - commendable, 2007 commendable

Daleville Jr/Sr High School - watch, 2007 watch

Madison-Grant United School Corporation - academic progress, 2007 -academic progress

Madison-Grant High School - academic progress, 2007 academic progress

Madison-Grant Jr. High School - academic progress, 2007 watch,

Park Elementary School - academic progress, 2007 academic progress

Summitville School - exemplary, 2007 - academic progress

Liberty Elementary School - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary Shenandoah School Corporation - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary

Shenandoah Elementary School - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary

Shenandoah High School - watch, 2007- watch

Shenandoah Middle School - exemplary, 2007 - exemplary



Source: Indiana Department of Education