Eleven Lincoln Public Schools failed to meet federal No Child Left Behind targets for the second year in a row last year, a number that district officials say is likely to keep increasing.

“We will see more and more of our schools and more and more schools across the state,” Marilyn Moore, LPS associate superintendent for instruction, told the Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday in an update on the federal accountability law.

The Nebraska Department of Education plans to release the statewide numbers Monday.

NCLB requires that all schools make “adequate yearly progress” in the percentage of students who test proficient in math and reading.

All subgroups of students — meaning English Language Learners, special education students and racial minorities — must meet the federal targets.

Also, schools must meet performance targets, meaning a certain number of their students in each group must be tested.

Any school that dips below the targets on participation or performance in any area is deemed not to be making “adequate yearly progress.”

The 11 schools mentioned by Moore on Tuesday are those that have failed to meet the targets for two consecutive years in the same subject.

Title 1 schools that fall into the “needs improvement category” are subject to sanctions. Specifically, families can transfer their students to another school or get tutoring services.

Two of the 11 LPS schools on the list are Title 1 schools: Culler Middle School and Everett Elementary.

Moore said she’s not anticipating that a lot of families will transfer or ask for tutoring services, based on preliminary information they’ve gotten from parents.

Generally, she said, families feel connected to the schools and don’t want to transfer.

But LPS will keep up to 21 percent of its Title 1 budget to pay for either of those services if needed. If students transfer, LPS would have to pay for transportation.

Next year, the federal targets — the percentage of students who have to be proficient in reading and math — will increase, Moore said.

That will likely mean more schools will fall short. Other factors that could affect schools’ ability to make the federal targets include changes in the way special education students are assessed and a growing ELL population. 

Other schools that fall into the “needs improvement” category include: All six high schools, Irving and Lefler middle schools and Roper Elementary.

The high schools all were on the list last year, too. The main reason, Moore said, is not enough kids are tested in math, particularly geometry since it hasn’t been a required course.

Also, it’s hard to get some high school students to take the tests, she said.

“It’s hard to get 95 percent of high school kids to do anything,” she said.

The other schools primarily fell short because not a high enough percentage of their ELL students or  special education students tested proficient.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.