The state department of education released 2007-2008 testing results this morning, and both city and county school divisions failed to meet federal standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act. This marks the second year in a row that the county has fallen short.
NCLB requires schools to make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) in bringing all students up to snuff on reading and math, as measured by standardized tests. The benchmark this year was 77 percent of students in reading and 75 percent of students in math. The kicker is that all “sub-groups” of students have to demonstrate that level of proficiency—meaning that, for instance, 77 percent of students considered "disadvantaged" must demonstrate English proficiency.
Six of 25 county schools did not make AYP, including all of the middle schools except Sutherland. This is the third year in a row that Greer Elementary, located off Hydraulic Road, hasn’t made AYP. Because it is a Title I school that receives federal subsidies, Greer faces greater sanctions—it will have to spend more than $200,000 on after school tutoring programs.
In the city, three schools didn’t make AYP—Buford Middle, Burnley-Moran Elementary and Walker Upper Elementary. All of those schools met the federal marks in 2006-2007.
Albemarle County Schools are considered to have failed as a division despite having met 28 of 29 criteria. According to a press release from the school system, the criterion missed was a graduation rate for a particular sub-group, and Albemarle is disputing the state’s calculation.
“Our data look a bit different than the state’s data, so we are appealing the AYP decision announced today for the division,” said Dr. Bruce Benson, assistant superintendent for student learning, in a press release. The school system is also appealing Burley Middle School’s status because of conflicting attendance data.