October 30, 2007
Schools
across South Carolina received their annual No Child Left Behind report
today showing progress toward the federal government’s goal to have all
children proficient in reading and math by 2014.
As
a school district, Horry County Schools met 31 out of 37 objectives for
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the same as last year. As a result of
not meeting all 37 objectives, HCS did not make AYP, as did none of the
other 84 school districts in South Carolina for a second consecutive
year. As a state, South Carolina met 26 of 37 goals and thus, fell
short of meeting AYP.
Together,
the district and its schools met 775, or 91 percent, of their combined
855 objectives. The 91 percent success rate is the same as last year,
even though the schools collectively added 23 more objectives during
2007. Anything less than 100 percent means that AYP is not met for
school districts and individual schools, as it is an “all-or-nothing”
accountability system.
Eighteen
schools, or 43 percent, of the District’s elementary, middle and high
schools met all of their AYP goals for this year, compared to 45
percent last year. The goals are based on PACT scores, high school exit
exam scores, graduation rates, and student attendance. The law requires
that all groups of students in a school meet the same goal; for
example, special education students and students with limited English
speaking abilities must meet the same goals as other students.
Twenty
percent of the 25 schools not meeting AYP fell short by missing one
goal; 24 percent missed by just two goals, and 56 percent missed three
of more goals. NCLB requires that all students score "Proficient" on
state math and English Language Arts tests by 2014 – including those
who are poor, speak limited English or have learning disabilities.
Overall,
the percentage of schools at the district and state levels meeting all
of their federal targets for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) decreased
from the previous year, mirroring a trend seen in other states. Using
the "all-or-nothing" criteria of NCLB, schools will continue to find it
increasingly difficult to meet all of their performance targets for all
students.
Background information on NCLB
NCLB
requires schools and districts to break out their performance data into
a number of student "subcategories" that include ethnicity, special
education, poverty and limited ability with English. The more
demographic categories a school has, the more goals it must meet.
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. Collectively, the District graduation rate increased
sixth-tenths of a percentage point to 75.2 percent in 2007 and the
District attendance rate slipped one-tenth of a percentage point to
96.3 percent in 2007.
For "Title I
schools", those that receive federal Title I funds because they have a
significant number of students from economically disadvantaged
families, not meeting AYP carries considerable consequences. When a
Title I school misses the same subject area performance target for two
years consecutively, the school is designated in "Needs Improvement"
status.
For schools identified as
"in need of improvement," 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 set aside 10
percent of its federal Title I funds for professional development. In
addition, the district must develop a district-wide improvement plan.
Like
South Carolina's home-grown Education Accountability Act, NCLB relies
on Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) scores to determine
performance ratings for elementary and middle schools. High school
performance data comes from student performance on the exit
examination, and the High School Assessment Program.
In
order to meet AYP next year, South Carolina elementary and middle
schools must have 58.8 percent of their students proficient in English
Language Arts, up from 38.2 percent this year. In math, 57.8 percent
must be proficient, up from 36.7 percent this year.
Each
state sets its own definition for academic proficiency under NCLB, and
independent national research studies have shown that South Carolina's
definition is far more rigorous than other states. The most recent
such study, released earlier this month by the conservative Fordham
Institute, rated South Carolina, Massachusetts and California as the
nation's toughest graders. That report and others have indicated that
students who score Proficient in many states would score at Basic or
Below Basic levels in South Carolina.
Six
schools will continue to offer choice, along with a seventh newly-added
school, North Myrtle Beach Intermediate School. Those schools include
Daisy Elementary School, Green Sea Floyds Elementary School, Waccamaw
Elementary School, Loris Middle School, Whittemore Park Middle School,
and now North Myrtle Beach Intermediate School. Among the six
continuing schools, 157, or 4 percent, of the eligible 3,752 students
exercised their option to transfer to other schools. Students attending
North Myrtle Beach Intermediate School will be notified in writing
regarding their option to transfer to another school.
Click here for more information about AYP from the South Carolina Department of Education.