Initial AYP Reports Show Big Gains in Elementary & Middle Schools

Initial Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP, reports show big gains over 2008's numbers. More than 79% of the state's public schools made AYP. Initial results released today show that it's a 10 point jump since last year.

58 schools across the state are no longer on the needs improvment list. (That happens after the school makes AYP for 2 consecutive years.)

State Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Cox, says "The initial AYP results demonstrate that our students are continuing to make excellent progress even as we raise expectations. Clearly, our teachers and students are working harder than ever and we're seeing the results,"

The initial report does not include summer retest scores or summer graduates. Compared to initial findings for 2008,

- The percentage of schools making AYP jumped more than 10 points from 68.8% to 79.1%.

- The percentage of elementary schools making AYP jumped 13.4 points and the percentage of middle schools jumped 10.4 points.

- The percentage of Title 1 schools making AYP increased by more than 13 points, from 64.8% to 78.4% (Title 1 schools have a significant population of economically-disadvantaged students).

"Mathematics achievement was a key to our improvement in AYP results this year," said Superintendent Cox. "We are asking our students to learn more rigorous mathematics and they are showing us that they can do it!"

Superintendent Cox said the improvements that elementary and middle school students showed in mathematics are a big part of the AYP results. Pass rates on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) in mathematics improved in all grades across the state (More information: http://www.gadoe.org/pea_communications.aspx?ViewMode=1&obj=1822).

High schools making AYP still lags behind. This year, just more than 47% of the state's high schools made AYP. That is a slight decrease from last year's numbers.

"We know there is a lot of hard work going on in our high schools," Superintendent Cox said. "We need to continue to study the data and work together to make sure our high schools are not only meeting AYP goals but are preparing students for the 21st century."

Superintendent Cox released the initial 2009 AYP Report this morning while speaking at the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) conference in Jekyll Island. The final AYP report will be released in the fall and will include summer retest scores and summer graduates.

What is AYP?
AYP is the formula used to determine if schools are meeting expectations under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It consists of three parts -- test participation, academic achievement and another statistic, called a "second indicator." The academic goals continue to rise every few years toward a goal of 100 percent proficiency for all students by 2014. This year, all of the academic goals remained the same as 2008, although the graduation rate bar went up.
All students at a school, as well as any qualifying subgroup of students, must meet goals in all three categories in order to "make AYP." Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject are placed in "Needs Improvement" status and face escalating consequences. For more information on AYP, go to http://tinyurl.com/AYPFAQ2009.

To meet AYP, each system and the state must meet the following criteria: 95% Participation, Academic Performance (Annual Measurable Objective), and Second Indicator. The system (or state) overview lists each school (or system) and indicates which AYP component the school/system met or did not meet

To search for district results, click on this link.

Chatham County results, click here.

Out of the 48 Chatham County Schools, 35 made AYP, while 13 schools did not make the grade. Those schools are: East Broad Elementary, Haven Elementary, Port Wentworth Elementary, Bartlett Middle, DeRenne Middle, Hubert Middle, Mercer Middle, Myers Middle, Beach High School, Jenkins High, Johnson High, and Savannah High.

Bryan County results, click here.

Bulloch County results, click here.

Glynn County results, click here.

Liberty County results, click here.

McIntosh County results, click here.