By Karen Gutierrez
Enquirer staff writer

Thirteen schools in Northern Kentucky may have to offer students the option of transferring this fall.

But they and their parents won't have much time to decide.

Aug. 2 is the tentative release date for the list of schools that did not meet performance goals under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Test scores must fall short two years in a row before penalties kick in, the most significant of which is a letter schools must send to parents. They must be informed of their right to switch their children to better-performing schools, with costs borne by the sending school or district.

Based on last year's list of poor performers, 336 schools statewide may have to send the letters this August, depending on how they score on tests being graded now. That's many more than the 28 that did so last year, when Kentucky had federal permission to compile an especially short list.

"This is a much bigger deal than people realize," said Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education.

The problem is turnaround time.

Thirteen of the schools that may be affected are in Kenton and Campbell counties. This fall, their start dates range from Aug. 4-24, leaving parents two days to three weeks to arrange transfers.

"We're very concerned about that," Gross said.

To speed up the timetable next year, the state's spring tests will be given slightly earlier, she said.

Two Rivers Middle School in Covington is one whose scores may be unsatisfactory this year.

Parent Debbie Winkler said that because of discipline problems there, she would consider transferring her daughter.

But she's confused about the logistics. Covington has only one middle school, so Winkler would have to choose one in another district. In that case, she wondered, could her daughter still run cross-country for Holmes High School in Covington?

Although she would consider a transfer, Winkler has mixed feelings about the federal law.

"Some mother who doesn't know anything is going to see a (transfer) letter and toss it," Winkler said. "You're going to have the parents of the smart kids leaving, and where does that leave Two Rivers?"

Schools awaiting test scores

These schools may have to offer students the option of transferring next fall, if their test scores (to be released Aug. 2) do not increase.

In Campbell County:

Cline Elementary, Grandview Elementary, Fourth Street Elementary, Newport Middle

In Kenton County:

Holmes Junior High, Two Rivers Middle, John G. Carlisle Elementary, Latonia Elementary, Thomas Edison Elementary, White's Tower Elementary, Piner Elementary, Beechgrove Elementary, Caywood Elementary

Source: Kentucky Department of Education

E-mail kgutierrez@enquirer.com