Andy, Opp systems make AYP
Published 12:05 am Thursday, August 9, 2012
Editor’s note: Numbers have not been officially released from the state; Covington County’s AYP status was not available yesterday.
Andalusia City Schools made AYP in all areas, officials announced on Wednesday, while Opp City Schools made it in all areas except one – high school reading.
Though the Alabama Department of Education won’t release numbers to the public for the 2011-2012 school year showing which schools did or did not make “adequate yearly progress” or AYP, according to the No Child Left Behind Act, local school officials offered them Wednesday.
NCLB is the mandate that sets national standards requiring all students to be proficient at their grade level in reading and math by 2014.
Every year, a higher percentage of students must pass the required tests in order for a school to make AYP.
ACS superintendent Ted Watson did not comment on the actual percentages, but said that his system received “all green,” including the graduation rate at Andalusia High School, an area it failed to pass last year.
High school students are evaluated using their 11th grade math and reading scores on the Alabama High School Graduation Exam.
Opp City Schools superintendent Michael Smithart said his system received green in all areas except high school reading.
OHS also made improvements in its high school graduation rate. To make AYP, high schools must have a minimum 90 percent graduation rate or improve on the previous year’s rate.
“We are certainly pleased with the performance of our students and teachers,” he said. “We improved greatly in a number of areas and Opp Elementary School and Opp Middle School excelled. We saw an improvement in our graduation rate, and this was a focus this year.
“Our scores in the special education subgroup were vastly improved,” he said. “There are areas we need to improve, specifically high school reading.
“It’s disappointing to have a ‘red cell,’ but we have to keep things in perspective,” Smithart said. “Only under NCLB requirements a 93 is failing. We will improve this, but it’s not something we are going to agonize over. We are more concerned about the number three. That is the number of seniors who did not graduate. This is the number we will improve.”
Information for Covington County Schools was not available Wednesday, as superintendent Terry Holley was out of town.