Preliminary numbers from the State Board of Education indicate Centralia High School showed improvement in reading and math test scores, but not enough to make Adequate Yearly Progress. 

Principal Reid Shipley credits more concentration in English classes on reading and incentives offered to students for the better scores.   "We're very pleased with the reading and the math as well.  Our reading went up almost ten-percent.  If we can go up even a fraction of that every year, that's our goal.  I think it gives us a good starting point.  Our math went up two percent overall .  We would like to achieve a little better in math, but I think we are on the right track in each.  I think if we continue some of the things we started last year and some of things we are adding next year hopefully we can continue to see that year in and year out...a three, four, or five percent increase," Shipley explained. 

Shipley notes some of their underachieving students will have two English or Math classes beginning next year.  "There will be an English lab that will focus solely on enhancing their reading skills.  The Math labs for freshman and sophomores will have their regular math class plus they will be placed in a math lab that will give them more math and will give them tutoring for math.  It will help them get up to speed or stay up to speed in their regular math classes," Shipley said. 

Centralia High had 56.7-percent of students meeting AYP in reading and 50.6-percent in math.  62-percent of the students are required to make Adequate Yearly Progress this year for a school to make AYP.  Shipley expects to have more data from the Prairie State Achievement Exam next month.