AYP Released

In compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the South Carolina Department of Education released 2009 data last week, showing that Marion School District 7 met 52.9 percent of objectives for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The district missed 8 of 17 objectives and did not meet AYP in 2009. For the second year in a row, none of the state's 85 school districts made AYP under the rigorous "all or nothing" federal accountability system. While NCLB relies on PASS scores to determine performance ratings for South Carolina's elementary and middle schools, high school data come from student performance on the High School Assessment Program.

Britton's Neck Elementary School met AYP which means they met all of their targets .  In order to meet AYP, elementary and middle schools must have had at least 58.8 percent of their students proficient in English Language Arts.  In math, at least 57.8 percent had to be proficient.

Creek Bridge High School did not meet AYP for 2009. High school goals jumped upward in 2009, from 52.3 percent to 71.3 percent proficient in English Language Arts and from 50 to 70 percent proficient in math. Only 14 of the state's 202 high schools met all of their federal AYP goals.

Schools must meet 100 percent of their federal "proficiency" goals each year.  Schools may have as few as 5 or as many as 37 AYP targets.  If even one subcategory of students doesn't meet its goal for that year, or if more than five percent of those students weren't tested, the school does not meet AYP for that year. Elementary and middle schools can also miss AYP if their overall attendance rate is lower than 94 percent. High schools miss if graduation rates decline from the previous year or from the three year average.

For "Title I schools" - those that receive federal Title I funds - not meeting AYP carries considerable consequences.  When a Title I school misses the same AYP target for two years consecutively, the school is designated in "Needs Improvement" status.
 
For schools identified as being in "Needs Improvement" status, parents must be offered the choice of sending their children to another school in that district that is not in "Needs Improvement" status.  A second year in "Needs Improvement" (third year of not meeting AYP) requires the school to offer supplemental services such as student tutoring, as well as the choice option.  The parent may request either of these options.  More severe consequences follow for Title I schools that continue to be designated as "Needs Improvement."

A school district in "Needs Improvement" status must use 10 percent of its Title I funds for professional development.  In addition, the district must develop a district-wide improvement plan.