More schools fail to meet AYP

by desertjim

Almost 30,000 United States public schools failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) this year. This was a 28 percent yearly increase of schools failing to meet the testing standards under the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB). Critics say that an increasing number of schools to be labelled as failing is inevitable. Those critics say the law has set unrealistic requirements, including the demand that all students be proficient in math and reading by the 2013-14 school year.

As far back as 2003, the National Education Association was pointing out that AYP rules caused many good schools to be listed as failures. In that year, for example, Ridgewood High School in New Jersey was placed on the early warning list because 3 students (who had left the school) did not take the required test. Despite the fact that Ridgewood High boasted an average SAT score of 1174 (the national average in 2003 was 1026) they were placed on the early-warning list. In Florida, Gulfport Elementary received a $40,000 bonus check from Governor Jeb Bush because of its academic excellence. However, that same year, NCLB test reported that the school had failed to meet AYP requirements.

The American Federation of Teachers points out that AYP does not in fact measure the yearly progress of the same students over time. Not surprisingly, the evidence shows that whether or not a school makes AYP does not necessaily depend on its effectiveness or the presence or absence or size of achievement gaps. The union predicts that almost all schools will have failed AYP by 2014 and points out that no other nation has been, or is close to, meeting the kind of standard that has been set by NCLB.

The superintendent of the Mat-Su school district in Arkansas recently felt compelled to write a letter to the parents explaining that the schools in his district that failed to meet AYP were not bad schools. He points out in the letter that many of his “failing” schools met 30 of the 31 target measurements this year but were still downgraded under NCLB rules.

NCLB has set standards and developed rules that will make it almost impossible for public schools to meet AYP requirements in future years. Whether this was the intended result of NCLB or not, major changes must be made as soon as possible. Arne Duncan, as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, has been no fan of NCLB’s requirements . Perhaps his tenure as Secretary of Education will include the revision or removal of NCLB high-stakes testing as the be-all and end-all of educational measurement.

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We are looking at a crisis of education in urban schools.  The students in these schools are used to being labeled as failures.  They need to experience more success in school.  NCLB is just another way to label schools and thus faculty, staff and students as failures.  This does NOT act to inspire anyone.  It makes everything seem all the more impossible. 

We need to have a series of small rewards to encourage everyone.  Kids like to feel good, so we want to find opportunities for success because success always feels good.  We want kids to associate success and feeling good with school.  Then we want to celebrate together.

Another problem is that the staff turns over very quickly in struggling schools.  Most of us remember the same teachers in our schools and for our kids.  Kids knew who they would have for 3rd grade, 8th grade, chemistry or whatever, because there was very little teacher turnover.  In struggling schools, teacher turnover can be as high as 30% per year, so there is no stability.  School becomes another place where adults are not “there” for the kids.  Students assume the teacher will be gone next year.  I have even had kids ask me why I was teaching in a particular school.  But this is off topic.