Wichita schools among districts not meeting AYP targets

September 14, 2010|By Chris Durden | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(TOPEKA, Kan.) — The Kansas State Department of Education says most public schools and school districts met their Adequate Yearly Progress goals for the 2009-2010 school year. The targets are set by the No Child Left Behind Act.

The department says targets increased between 5 and 8 percent in the past year. The state says 211 of 293 districts met their AYP requirements and 1,125 of 1,380 public schools did the same.

“It is a testament to the dedication of the teachers and school administrators in Kansas that even as student performance measures rise rapidly from year to year, we continue to see high percentages of schools and school districts meet and exceed the federal AYP requirements,” said Interim Education Commissioner Dr. Diane M. DeBacker.

Wichita, Derby, Haysville, Valley Center, Hutchinson, Great Bend and Dodge City didn't make AYP as a whole. However, according to USD 259, 33 Wichita schools met targets in both reading and math based on performance on the state assessments taken last spring. In addition, 29 schools met the AYP target in either reading or math.

You can find a complete list of schools and districts that didn't make AYP but clicking on the Results Document on the left side of this page.

“Seventy-two percent of the state’s school districts made AYP this year – more than twice as many as did not. And 81 percent of public schools met AYP - that’s more than four times as many as did not make AYP.”

AYP measures a school/district's ability to meet specified targets for student performance, participation on reading and math assessments, and areas of attendance and graduation.

Performance targets must be met for the full student population, as well as for sub-groups based on race & ethnicity, income level, special needs and English proficiency. Each year, the specified performance target increases, working toward a goal of having 100 percent of students meeting standards by 2014.

The No Child Left Behind Act became law in 2002. There are efforts underway to reform the law, a rare area of bipartisan cooperation in Washington. President Obama's education push relies heavily on standarized testing, like NCLB, but also on competition and innovation between states.

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