24 Feb 2005
88 Percent of Dallas Schools Meet Adequate Yearly Progress Under NCLB
DALLAS—Almost nine out of every 10 schools in the Dallas Independent School District evaluated under the rigorous federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act met the new tough standards according to information to be released by the Texas Education Agency on Friday.
DISD as a whole also met Adequate Yearly Progress for a second year in a row.
"This is very good news for the Dallas Independent School District," said Interim Superintendent Larry Groppel. "We all know that the new standards of NCLB have dramatically raised the bar on public schools in America and this accomplishment on the part of our students, teachers and parents is something to cheer about."
Only 26 schools in DISD missed AYP, with only 15 making the list for a second year in a row, and 11 making the list for the first time.
Groppel said that only 22 DISD schools missed AYP last year, but the state and federal standards for determining AYP have increased significantly.
U.S. schools must show progress toward the NCLB goal of securing a high-quality education for all students, including those who are economically disadvantaged, special education and limited-English-proficient students by the 2013–2014 school year.
Texas measured AYP on the basis of student performance and participation in grades 3-8 and 10 reading and math sections of the 2003-04 statewide assessments. The passing standards (overall and in each subgroup, including ethnic categories, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and those with limited-English proficiency) were 47 percent in reading/language arts, and 33 percent in mathematics. If the standards are not met, then a 10 percent improvement from the previous year and any improvement in graduate or attendance rates must be met. Also, a minimum of 95 percent of students was required to be tested on the appropriate state-mandated test or there must have been a 95 percent average over the last two years.
Under the provisions of the law, elementary and middle schools must show an attendance rate of at least 90 percent or an improvement from the previous year. To achieve AYP, high schools and the district also were required to graduate more than 70 percent of the student class of 2003 or show an increase from the prior year.
Of the DISD schools that did not meet AYP in the preliminary report to be released by TEA Friday, three are elementary schools, eight are middle schools and 15 are high schools.
The 26 schools that missed AYP this year include: Arthur Kramer, Martha Turner Reilly, Edward Titche, and Daniel Webster elementary schools; Pearl C. Anderson, Boude Storey, L.V. Stockard, Fred Florence, Robert T. Hill, John B. Hood and J. L. Long middle schools; and Bryan Adams, Adamson, A. Maceo Smith, Moises E. Molina, Hillcrest, Kimball, L.G. Pinkston, Franklin Roosevelt, W.W. Samuell, H. Grady Spruce, Sunset, South Oak Cliff, David W. Carter, North Dallas and James Madison high schools.
Under No Child Left Behind, schools are required to meet annual targets in reading and mathematics performance, participation and graduation rate for high schools, and attendance rates for elementary and middle schools.