Changes Possible at Frontier Middle School if NCLB Standards Aren’t Met

Changes could be coming to Frontier Middle School if the school fails again to meet standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.

The Natrona County School District Board of Trustees discussed a restructuring plan for Frontier Middle School at its meeting Tuesday night. The plan will be implemented if the school fails to meet adequate yearly progress standards set by No Child Left Behind for a sixth consecutive year.

Mark Mathern, the district’s associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, says the plan selected by the district requires certain underperforming teachers to be replaced.

“We really used that option to take advantage of some of the changes we’ve made in staffing there, whether that be for retirements or people moving," Mathern said. "We've tried to take advantage in all of those areas."

Mathern says Frontier Middle School currently meets AYP in 17 of 18 demographic parameters and currently doesn’t meet AYP in language arts for special needs students. He says that’s a marked improvement: In years prior, Frontier met AYP in as few as 10 of 18 demographic parameters.

The board will vote on the plan at its Feb. 25 meeting.