Douglas will work way off watch list

Five of Douglas County's 14 schools are on the watch list for adequate yearly progress.

Scarselli Elementary, Carson Valley Middle School, Douglas High School, Sierra Crest Academy and the All Students Pursuing Integrity, Responsibility and Education program have been placed on the federal No Child Left Behind watch list.

The history of Douglas schools' experience with No Child Left Behind has been an educational whack-a-mole game.

In 2003, Douglas High School had been on the watch list for two years and was officially listed as needing improvement.

In 2006, no schools were on the watch list and six schools were listed as high achieving, including the high school. The same thing happened in 2007.

In 2008, Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School and Minden Elementary School were on the watch list. Both schools were back to adequate progress this year.

Being on the watch list is not a good thing. Douglas County's schools have always prided themselves on being able to accept the challenge presented by the federal regulation and meeting it, no matter how unreasonable.

For the past six years, every school but one on the list has worked its way off in the first year.

And that's what the watch list is for. It's the educational warning track, and so far Douglas schools have heeded that warning every time.