WCPSS Meets 90 percent of NCLB Targets
July 18, 2005 - The Wake County Public School System met 90 percent of the school district's target levels for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal "No Child Left Behind Law" (NCLB).
"Meeting 90 percent of AYP targets is a reflection of our students' success on the state End-of-Grade testing where for three consecutive years approximately 91 percent scored at grade level or better," said Superintendent Bill McNeal. "We analyze students' EOG results against the federal AYP standards and state ABC standards, and most importantly, use it to strengthen instruction at our schools. We must continue to help all students to grow academically and that will require the efforts of parents, volunteers and all of our partners."
Analysis of the state's End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests are used in both the NCLB's Adequate Yearly Progress and the state's ABCs of Public Education, but each standard looks at the data in different ways. Adequate Yearly Progress measures subgroups of students against a fixed performance standard for all students. The ABCs of Public Education measures academic growth of students over the course of a year.
The results announced today reflect North Carolina's first incremental increase in Grades 3-8 AYP targets as part of NCLB requirements to raise all students to grade level by 2013-14. Every three years the targets are raised with the goal of meeting 100 percent of the targets by 2014. This year, the 3-8 reading target increased to 76.7 percent from 68.9 percent and the math target went from 74.6 percent to 81.0 percent.
The federal law requires that a certain percentage of students in grades 3 to 8 and grade 10 pass reading and math tests. The passing rate targets apply to defined student subgroups.
In order to qualify as a subgroup, there must be at least 40 students identified under one of nine separate categories: White, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Multiracial, Limited English Proficiency, Economically Disadvantaged and Students With Disabilities. The school itself must also meet the target as a whole in order to meet the goal.
Starting this year, WCPSS has targets at three levels: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8 and Grade 10. WCPSS met 90 percent of its targets. All targets missed were either Limited English Proficient or Students with Disabilities.
Of the 132 schools scored under the new legislation, 82 achieved the goal of 100 percent across multiple student group targets. Of the 50 schools that did not make AYP, 28 missed by only 1 or 2 targets.
When comparing the performance in 2005 to 2004, middle schools remained about the same. Fewer elementary and high schools met AYP targets. In middle school, 39 percent of schools met AYP this year compared with 41 percent last year. 79 percent of elementary schools met AYP this year compared with 93 percent last year. 29 percent of high schools met AYP this year compared with 44 percent last year.
No additional WCPSS Title I schools were identified for school improvement. Two schools - Hodge Road Elementary and Lynn Road Elementary - entered school improvement last year after not meeting AYP goals for a second consecutive year. The schools will continue in school improvement until they make AYP goals for two consecutive years.
This year, Lynn Road Elementary met AYP goals, but Hodge Road Elementary did not. Both schools are required under NCLB to offer their parents the option to transfer to another school for 2005-06. Few parents exercised their option to transfer last year. Since this is the third year that Hodge Road did not make AYP, the school will also offer supplemental educational services to students who receive free/reduced lunch. These services include tutoring offered outside the regular school day to help improve student academic performance. Letters were sent last month to parents of students at the two schools notifying them of their options.
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