The Fort Dodge Community School District Annual Progress Report highlights accomplishments such as removing Butler Elementary from the federal "School In Need of Assistance" list. It also details goals including having 100% student proficiency by 2013-2014, as required by No Child Left Behind. While the district did not meet all goals this year, it is taking actions like formative assessment training and differentiated instruction to improve achievement, especially in reading and math.

1. Fort Dodge Community School District
Our Schools. Our Community. Our Pride.
For Immediate Release
10/04/2011
Contact: Ashton Newman
Fort Dodge Community School District
Director of Communications and Community Relations
515.574.5668
anewman@fort-dodge.k12.ia.us
FDCSD Displays State Goals, Progress, and Accomplishments in this Year’s APR
Fort Dodge, IA - The Fort Dodge Community School District Annual Progress Report is available for review. In
order to satisfy the requirements for reporting District progress toward state and federal indicators, communi-
ty school district’s in Iowa are required to complete an Annual Progress Report each year. The report highlights
student achievements but also serves as a formula used to determine if schools are meeting expectations un-
der the decade old - federal No Child Left Behind Act. Fort Dodge Community School District’s Annual Progress
Report can be viewed online at fdschools.org.
Fort Dodge Community School’s report includes “Points of Pride” in which the District shares their proudest
accomplishments. Achievements this year included the removal of Butler Elementary School from the federal
School In Need of Assistance (SINA) list. This means students at Butler Elementary made enough growth on the
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills to no longer be considered a SINA school. The District also showed pride in the yearly
growth of fourth grade students. At every elementary school, fourth graders were more proficient in reading
than they were in third grade. Also in the past year, the average score on the ACT score at Senior High rose
above the state average and the graduation rate exceeded an all-time high of 90.5 percent, just shy of the state
goal, 90.7 percent.
Fewer Iowa schools met the No Child Left Behind expectations this year due to the academic bar being raised
in all categories. Across the state, 30 school districts and over 400 school buildings failed to meet require-
ments. The academic goals of No Child Left Behind continue to rise every few years toward a goal of 100%
proficiency for all students by the 2013-2014 school year. Only public school districts are required to report
progress according to the No Child Left Behind goals.
“We have many great schools in the state providing a high-quality education to all students,” said Director of
Curriculum Sue Wood. “Fort Dodge Community Schools has tremendous academic opportunities and programs
that cannot be found elsewhere, but with the rate at which the academic bar is increasing each year, we knew
we were up against a challenge.”
Central Administration Office
104 South 17th Street • Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-576-1161 • Fax 515-576-1988
www.fdschools.org An Equal Opportunity Employer

2. Fort Dodge Community School District
Our Schools. Our Community. Our Pride.
FDCSD Displays State Goals, Progress, and Accomplishments in this year’s APR
10/04/2011
-Page 2-
All students at a school, as well as any qualifying subgroup of students, must meet the goals in order for a
school to adhere to the federal requirements. Subgroups include low socio-economic, African American,
Hispanic, and students with Individual Education Plans (Special Education students). Schools that do not have
at least 30 students in a subgroup are not required to report the progress of students in that particular group.
This is often the reason why large districts or those with a diverse student body are reported to have failed to
meet state goals.
“The goal of 100 percent proficiency for all students by 2013-2014 is well meaning,” said Wood, “However,
there are so many variables in the lives of children that schools cannot control, but our staff does everything
we can in the classroom and through professional development to improve each child’s academic growth.”
Fort Dodge Community School District was one of the 30 districts that did not meet the No Child Left Behind
goals. As a result, several actions are being taken to improve student achievement said Wood. The major focus
of the 2011-2012 Professional Development activities will continue to be devoted to the implementation of
formative assessment, a strategy which allows students to gain immediate descriptive feedback, assisting them
in all content areas of deficiency. Teachers, at all grade levels, will continue to study and implement reading
strategies that benefit struggling learners. Teachers will also focus on differentiated instruction techniques to
accommodate the needs of the brightest students as well as meeting the needs of those students who need
assistance.
Small group reading programs have shown to be very beneficial to the District said Wood. At all levels, pro-
grams are in place to assist those students not proficient in reading. At the elementary level, students receive
small group instruction and interventions. Those students in grades 5-8 experiencing reading difficulties par-
ticipate in 30 minute intervention periods each day. Generated data from the Skills Iowa software program is
used to help teachers identify specific student needs. Students at the middle school and high school level also
engage in programs such as Second Chance Reading, Read 180, and System 44 curriculum.
In the upcoming year, a PreK-12 math study will be underway to determine actions and improvements needed
to increase math achievement. Teachers, kindergarten through first grade will also begin implementing Cogni-
tively Guided Instruction in the area of mathematics.
“These are only a handful of the professional development programs our teachers and staff are continually
developing each day,” said Wood. “Many of which have yielded great success and accomplishments.”
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Central Administration Office
104 South 17th Street • Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-576-1161 • Fax 515-576-1988
www.fdschools.org An Equal Opportunity Employer