Fewer Ky., Jefferson Co. Schools Meeting NCLB Goals

Only about 56 percent of Kentucky schoolsmet their goalsunder the federal No Child Left Behind Act last school year.     In Jefferson County, the number is 21 percent, down from 37 percent last year and 44 percent in 2008, according to the Courier-Journal.The Education Department’s Lisa Gross says the statewide findings are not surprising.“We’ve known that this is the case," she says. "We’ve seen other measures that show us that we really have a lot of work to do to get our kids prepared for life after high school.  But this really brings it home.  And it really shows what individual schools are doing.”Each year, schools must have more and more students reaching proficient levels in math and reading.“What parents should be concerned about is how their own children are doing, number one," says Gross. "And number two, how well their school is doing.  Are they making any progress in addressing all of the needs of every child in the school?”Gross says the latest data also indicates that only 34 percent of public high school students in Kentucky are ready for college or careers.  The percentages ranged from three percent to 81 percent statewide.(Information for this story also provided by Rick Howlett, WFPL)