Local school leaders call for change in AYP measurement

The latest Adequate Yearly Progress school performance results show only four Virginia school systems met the federal standards for reading and math proficiency in the last school year. State officials say despite a laudable intent, the “No Child Left Behind Act” no longer serves as a useful tool to measure a school’s performance.  As News/Talk 960’s Evan Jones has the reaction from Salem City and Roanoke County Schools.

In Roanoke, seven of 24 schools made AYP, down from 11 schools last year.
In Roanoke County, 21 of the division’s 26 schools made AYP; last year, the number was 23.
In Salem, Andrew Lewis Middle was the only school not to make AYP — all six did last year.
In Botetourt County, 8 of 11 schools made AYP. Last year, 10 did.
In Franklin County, 11 of 16 schools made AYP, down from 12 last year.

Click here to access the state data base for all school systems and all individual schools in Virginia.

Here is a portion of the Virginia Department of Education News Release:

State Superintendent Says 2011 Virginia AYP Results

Emphasize Need for New Federal Accountability Model 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright says the latest Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) ratings for Virginia schools and school divisions show that the 10-year-old accountability system established under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has outlived its usefulness and should be overhauled.

Because of the intricacies of the AYP calculation and higher benchmarks, only 697, or 38 percent of the commonwealth’s 1,839 schools, made AYP based on achievement on 2010-2011 state tests. Sixty-one percent of schools made AYP during the previous ratings cycle. Only four of Virginia’s 132 school divisions made AYP based on 2010-2011 achievement, compared with 12 during the previous cycle.

Wright said she will recommend that the state Board of Education ask U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for a waiver from NCLB’s increasingly unrealistic requirements. On Monday, Duncan announced he will provide a process for states to seek relief from key provisions of the law, with the specifics to be announced next month.

“Accountability is not advanced by arbitrary rules and benchmarks that misidentify schools,” Wright said. “During the coming weeks, I will begin a discussion with the state board on creating a new model for measuring yearly progress that maintains high expectations for student achievement, recognizes growth — overall and by subgroup — and accurately identifies schools most in need of improvement.”

Adequate Yearly Progress for Virginia Public Schools & Divisions