A Recap of the State Board Of Education's
August 2007 Meeting

82 PERCENT OF STATE’S SCHOOLS MEET ALL ACCOUNTABILITY GOALS

Alabama met its adequate yearly progress goals under No Child Left Behind this year, based on 2006-07 data released at the state Board of Education’s monthly K-12 meeting Monday.

“In short, we did good,” Morton said. “The number of schools that have to offer school choice has gone down dramatically, and the number of schools in ‘need improvement’ has gone down. It’s a remarkable story, … and it’s so indicative of the good work that’s going on in the schools.”

Of the state’s 1,358 schools, 82 percent achieved 100 percent of their goals, which is required to gain AYP status. In addition, 1,039 schools achieved AYP for two consecutive years, up from 674 schools last year.

Seventy-six percent of the 241 schools that didn’t achieve AYP status missed the mark by just one goal. By comparison, 88 percent of schools made AYP in 2005-06 when 99 schools fell short of AYP by one goal. In 2003-04, the state’s first year under NCLB, only 23 percent of Alabama’s schools made adequate yearly progress.

The state Department of Education’s report also indicated a 67 percent decrease in the total number of schools in need of improvement compared to last year. The decrease in Title I schools with “school improvement” status was 70 percent. Of the 153 schools in school improvement for 2006-07, 89 are high poverty Title I schools that receive federal funding while 64 are not.

Title I schools that miss AYP for two consecutive years must offer students the option of transferring to another school when a choice is available. In Year 2 or more of school improvement, a Title I school is required to offer free supplemental education services such as tutoring to students who eat free/reduced-price meals. Non-Title I schools avoid these mandates because of cost.

State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton said the accountability news is significant, particularly because the percentage of students who had to score proficient in Alabama was raised this year. The target is the national goal to raise all children to grade level in reading and mathematics by 2013-14.

This is the first time Alabama exclusively used the graduation rate – slightly up over last year at 81.95 percent – as the state-selected “additional academic indicator” required under NCLB. Last year high schools could use the dropout rate or graduation rate. Elementary and middle schools need at least a 95 percent attendance rate to meet their additional indicator. The state achieved a 97 percent attendance rate this year.

AYP is also determined by student achievement on the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test for grades 3-8, the Alabama High School Graduation Exam given in grade 11 and the Alabama Alternate Assessment for grades 3-8 and 11.

Accountability information by system and school can be found online at www.alsde.edu.

The state board meets in its monthly K-12 work session Aug. 23 in Montgomery. The next regular meeting is Sept. 13.

—Denise L. Berkhalter