17 Aug 2006
Special Student Improvement Teams To Focus On Remaining 14 Percent;
Extra Instructional Coaches To Add Support
DALLAS—Six out of seven Dallas Independent School District campuses met the federal standard known as Adequate Yearly Progress, while 14 percent, or 29 campuses failed to reach their expected level of performance or participation, the district announced Thursday.
"For the 86.2 percent of schools that made the grade this year, we commend the teachers and students for their performance and participation in the state's rigorous evaluation process," said Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. "To the parents of the students who attend the campuses that did not meet AYP for 2005-06, we want to communicate that we will continue to focus on student achievement at these schools, and will allocate the supports needed to improve performance."
There were 210 campuses evaluated for the 2005-06 school year. Of those, 181 met AYP, and 29 missed the mark. Of the 29 schools, 10 missed due to math performance only, four missed due to reading performance only, and 15 missed with some combination of reading performance and participation, math performance and participation, or graduation rate. All of the 29 schools were at the secondary level: 16 high schools and 13 middle schools.
Of the 39 schools that were categorized as "missed AYP" last year, 13 met the standards in 2006.
"The measures that were implemented last year proved successful for some schools, but others clearly continue to need help," said Hinojosa. "Extra instructional coaches this year will offer daily assistance in the areas where students need more academic support. Other supports and expectations for these schools include requiring focused interventions with students who have not met the standard, clearer curriculum guidelines for teachers, and additional professional development for campus leaders."
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 2005-06 statewide assessments. The passing standards (overall and in each student group, including ethnic categories, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and those with limited-English proficiency) were 53 percent in reading/language arts, and 42 percent in mathematics. If the standards are not met, then a 10 percent improvement on the failure rate 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 2005 in four years or show an increase from the prior year.
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