Seventy seniors at Leflore County and Amanda Elzy high schools who are at risk of not graduating due to low Subject Area Test scores are being offered a selection of tutoring options.
“We have met with both high school principals,” Leflore County Superintendent of Education Jean Hall said. “We’re reminding the students that we have in-school tutoring, after-school tutoring and Saturday school.”
In Leflore County, 34 percent of the district’s 206 seniors failed at least one of these tests, which are required for graduation. This percentage was the third-highest in the state.
By comparison, in the Greenwood School District, 20 out of 153 seniors — 13.1 percent — failed at least one test, and in the Carroll County School District, 10 out of 63 seniors, or 15.9 percent, failed at least one.
The Subject Area Testing Program has four components: Algebra I, Biology I, English II and U.S. History from 1877.
Statewide, 11 percent of about 30,500 seniors need to pass one or more of the Subject Area Tests to graduate. In April, seniors will have one more opportunity to take the needed tests in time to graduate.
For the past three Saturdays, 20 students from Amanda Elzy High School have been bused to the Greenville Higher Education Center for English II tutoring. Dr. Ilean Richards, program director for the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, is conducting the sessions.
Hall said Richards might provide an additional day of tutoring for students in the district.
A consultant also has been visiting the schools. In addition to working with the students on the English II test, Hall said, the consultant is helping them with test-taking skills.
“We also have registered students to go to Yazoo City for state training provided by the state Department of Education,” she said.
Subject areas for the Yazoo City-bound seniors include English II and Algebra I.
Charles Ollie, the district’s director of academics and professional development and a former English teacher, has been working with seniors who need to be re-tested.
That personalized instruction is being provided from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Seniors also can receive tutoring in U.S. History and Biology I.
“A good many of our seniors only missed by one, two, three or four points,” Hall said.
“We intend to do whatever we can to get them passed. For those children that are more than five points away, we’re providing them with intense training,” she said.
