November 16, 2009


Dear Citizens of Biddeford,

I am pleased to present the 2009-10 Annual NCLB School District Report Card.

This report card summarizes the Biddeford School Department’s 2008-09 performance on the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) that is administered in grades 3-8 and the Maine High School Assessment (MHSA) that is administered in grade 11. Also included in this report card is data from the 2007-08 reporting year for comparison purposes.

Each district in the nation is required, by law, to report these results in accordance with determinations around Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP. 

This report card outlines four major areas:

1. Specific Assessment Reports for each grade level broken down by subgroups in the content areas of Reading and Mathematics.  Please note that subgroups with minimal students are, by federal law, not reportable due to confidentiality considerations.
   
   
2. Accountability Reports for each level (Elementary, Middle, and High) broken down by subgroups with an emphasis on percentages meeting or exceeding the targets.
   
   
3. Teacher Quality Data for all of our 260 professional staff members and their “Highly Qualified” status, as defined by federal law.
   
   
4. NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)/ MEA Comparison data.

To summarize the NCLB district report card for our school department, the following are common threads to be noted:

• In the area of Reading, Biddeford students improved their scores (met or exceeded the standards) in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 when compared to scores in the previous year. In grade 7, students matched their scores from the previous year. Biddeford students performed below state average, though, in all grades.
  
  
• In the area of Mathematics, Biddeford students improved their scores (met or exceeded the standards) in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 when compared to scores in the previous school year. Biddeford students outperformed their state counterparts in grade 5. Biddeford students performed below state average, though, in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11.
  
  
• Over 99% of our teachers are considered to be “Highly Qualified”.
  
  
• At the grade 4 and 8 levels, our students outperformed on the MEA as compared to the NAEP in both reading and mathematics.

The following are the ways in which this report card will be made available to the public:

1. On the district’s web site, www.biddschools.org. Go to “NCLB Report Card.”
2. Televised presentation to the School Committee at a regular meeting in January 2010.
3. A letter will be sent home with all students in the district in December 2009 directing parents and guardians to the report card on the district’s web site.

Please note that the health of a school or school district cannot be measured by one assessment. Rather, a school or district should be measured and held accountable for the combined efforts of its staff to educate all children in its care. To that end, the Biddeford School Department strives to meet each child’s educational needs at every opportunity.

Sincerely,

 
Jeffrey J. Porter
Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Director of Federal Programs

Biddeford NCLB Report Card for 2009-10