Struggling American girl: will she make adequate gains under federal act?

Elizabeth Ashley is a shy, white sixth-grader who likes typical 12-year-old stuff, like hanging out with her friends, listening to music and talking. Her favorite band is Good Charlotte. Her favorite food? Pizza. Her favorite color? Light blue.

When it comes to education at Robert H. Jenkins Junior-Middle School in Palatka, Fla., in Putnam County, Elizabeth struggles with reading and math. But she enjoys, in order, "phys ed, band, social studies and language arts."

Her first nine weeks of grades show she earned As in band and physical education, Bs in language arts and social studies, and Cs in math and science.

Elizabeth started playing the trombone last fall. And she digs social studies because she enjoys "learning stuff about the past." With language arts, even though she struggles with some of the basics, she is inspired by the lives of people.

Assistant Principal Chelsea Merritt says Elizabeth shows signs of struggle in some tests. Her fifth-grade Sunshine State Standards FCAT shows she scored 268 out of 500 in math. She hovers in the high level I area, below proficient, which is Level III. Her reading score was 298 out of 500, which is a low level Ill.

But according to the FCAT National Norm Reference Test, comparing her to other fifth-graders nationwide, she scored 57 out of 99 in math, with 50 an average score, but only 35 out of 99 in reading.

Betty Huber, Elizabeth's grandmother, is among her biggest rooters. "Her math is pretty good but she has trouble mostly with fractions and some reading problems," says Huber, who reads to her occasionally.

Henrietta Staples, Elizabeth's language arts teacher, says Elizabeth has an advantage over other students because she has great parental support. "She has parents who are encouraging her. They make sure they discuss the books with her," Staples says.

And Elizabeth is conscientious. "She is more motivated than someone who struggles with reading comprehension," Staples says.

ELIZABETH ASHLEY is among several students District Administration will track to determine how successful, or unsuccessful, NCLB is. She is the first student to be featured in this section.