helping members
AYP Primer: Key facts you need to know
- Adequate Yearly progress (AYP) is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In Michigan, it’s a measure of student achievement on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.
- The law required states to develop goals for adequate yearly progress, gradually raising the bar so 100 percent of students are proficient in English language arts and math by 2013-14.
- In addition to MEAP scores, other indicators are factored in to determine whether a school has made sufficient progress. For elementary and middle schools, attendance rates are used. For high schools, graduation rates are used.
- AYP applies to each district and school in the state; however, NCLB sanctions for schools that do not make adequate progress for two or more years in a row only apply to districts and schools that receive Title 1 funds. Title 1 funds are federal dollars provided to schools with high numbers or high percentages of poor children.
- Schools must ensure that certain subgroups of students are making adequate progress. If they do not, then the school as a whole cannot make AYP. The subgroups include racial/ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and those who are economically disadvantaged. In Michigan, a subgroup is counted if there are at least 30 students.
- Schools that don’t make AYP for two consecutive years are identified for improvement. A school must meet AYP requirements for two years in a row to no longer be identified for improvement.
6 things you need to know about AYP and your school:
1. Did your school make AYP last year?
2. If not, why not?
3. Does your school receive Title 1 funds?
4. If your school receives Title 1 funds and it didn’t make AYP for two or more consecutive years, what is your school or district doing to ensure improvement this year? And, is your local association collaborating with your school or district to understand the needs of your students?
5. What are your school’s requirements this year—how well must students perform in order for your school to make AYP?
6. What resources are available in your school or district to help you support academic improvement?
For answers to these and other questions you may have, ask your school improvement team. Don’t know who’s on the school improvement team? Ask your principal, building administrator, or local association president. By law, staff must be represented on your school’s improvement team.
Some districts have tried to displace
staff—is yours next?
Last school year, the Lansing and Grand Rapids school districts made headlines when each threatened to displace teachers in schools that hadn’t made adequate yearly progress for several years.
Schools that repeatedly do not make sufficient progress can do many things to improve student academic achievement, including replacing school staff “relevant to the failure to make AYP” and restructuring. In some cases, a school could be closed.
However, schools can also choose other options, including implementing new research-based curriculum and providing related professional development for staff.
Although districts must comply with NCLB, the law doesn’t require schools to violate terms of collective bargaining agreements. That means that your contract terms must be followed, even if a district chooses to make extreme changes.
School districts are encouraged to invite staff and parents in developing a restructuring plan.
Read your contract. If you have questions about how your contract terms relate to NCLB, ask your local president or MEA UniServ director.
NEA offers principles to improve NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act established
goals everyone supports: high standards
and accountability for the learning of all
children.
But, the law falls short of its goals for many reasons. NEA offers suggestions to fix the law so that it helps build stronger public schools for all students.
To learn more, go to www.nea.org/esea.