By J. Anfenson-Comeau

jamieenews@bellsouth.net

East Elementary Principal Mary Ellen Donatto, whose school is a high performer, says the state's education accountability system is working.

Speaking to the Eunice Kiwanis Club, she said, “I do believe that the system is working. There used to be no accountability. None. Now, everyone has to answer to the same set of standards.”

On the other hand, Donatto said, “There are a lot of people out there who believe that performance scores are the only thing that are important to public school education, and that’s simply not true,” said Donatto.

The state requires students to prove they can meet grade level expectations in order to graduate fourth grade, eighth grade or high school by way of performance tests.

Donatto said that fourth-grade students at her school who fail are given a free summer remedial program and allowed to take the test again. If they fail, they have to repeat the fourth grade, at the end of which they are allowed to retest.

Elementary schools are awarded points based on a number of factors, including how well their third and fourth-graders meet grade level expectations, as well as attendance.

East is considered a high-performance school, Donatto said, with a school performance score of 108.6.

The state’s goal is to have every school scoring at least 120 by the year 2014.

“We’re steadily improving, but every year becomes harder. The closer you get to 120, the slower the improvement,” Donatto said.

“The name and label of our school depends on the performance of about 150 eight and nine-year-old children. That’s a lot of pressure; not on the children; they don’t take it seriously. It’s a lot of pressure on the school,” Donatto said.

Donatto said she’d prefer to see pre- and post-tests given, to show how students have improved over the year.

“But it’s still a great standard; we have seen definite improvement in performance scores,” since testing was instituted.

Donatto, who was chosen as the Louisiana Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2006, noted that two schools in Eunice, East and Eunice Elementary, were both listed as “High Performance, High Poverty” schools.

Representatives from the Louisiana Department of Education visited last week to collect footage for a video showing struggling schools how to maintain high performance in the midst of high poverty levels in the community.

Try as they might, Donatto said that schools and teachers can only do so much, and that it takes a village, or in this case a city, to raise a child.

Donatto began her career as a teacher in Eunice in 1973, and has been principal of East since 1999.

Donatto urged Kiwanians and others to become involved with young children, and show them how their work in the classroom is directly related to the work they will be doing as adults.

She also urged them to take young parents under their wing, and show them the importance of being involved in their child’s education, as well as how to provide a home life that supports education.

“Children need structure and discipline. Students cannot learn without structure and discipline,” Donatto said.