ANDERSON — Public Law 221 results for 2008 were issued from the Indiana Department of Education on Wednesday and local systems either stayed the same from 2007 or dropped down a category. Only Alexandria Community School Corporation moved up, and Frankton-Lapel Community Schools slipped the furthest.

The state trend is running downward as more Indiana schools have slipped into academic watch and probation status, according to an Associated Press report.

State Superintendent Tony Bennett said Wednesday that teams of three to five people will recommend changes in schools that are entering their fourth year of academic probation. Those schools have been in that category since state rankings began in the 2005-2006 school year.

No school in the county falls in that category. Locally, South Side Middle School in Anderson has been on probation three years in a row but will be closing before next fall. Robinson Elementary, also slated to close, was on probation but had been in the academic progress category in 2007.

The Herald Bulletin was able to reach Anderson Community Schools Superintendent Mikella Lowe and school board president Teddy Bohnenkamp, but both declined to comment saying they had not seen the PL 221 results.

Only one other school in Madison County was on probation, Elwood Community High School. The previous two years, the high school had been on watch and was on probation after the 2005 year.

The new ranking didn’t sit well with Tom Austin, Elwood’s superintendent.

“We’re disappointed in the high school,” he said. “It’s been there before and come up.”

Austin said a new freshman transition program will begin this fall for incoming high school students “to turn the corner.” He also said the school system would be installing curriculum improvements to help student performance.

“We’re seeing some improvements,” Austin noted. Edgewood Elementary School and Elwood Community Middle School both moved up from watch to academic progress.

South Madison saw its corporation category fall from academic progress to watch. The jewel at South Madison, East Elementary, was exemplary as it’s been three of the four years.

“All three elementaries (East, Pendleton and Maple Ridge) are at or above 80 percent (ISTEP) passing,” said Tom Warmke, South Madison’s superintendent.

Pendleton Elementary fell to watch from academic progress and Maple Ridge stayed the same at academic progress.

“We always try to do better,” said Warmke. “We take this seriously.”

Frankton-Lapel plunged from exemplary in 2007 to watch this year. Both Frankton schools and the Lapel Middle School were rated watch, while Lapel High School and Lapel Elementary were exemplary.