As President Obama prepares to overhaul the federal No Child Left Behind act, Norfolk Public Schools and other Virginia districts announced Thursday the schools that meet the act’s increasing requirements for “Adequate Yearly Progress.”
In Norfolk, 11 schools, all at the elementary level, met a complex list of federal criteria to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Seven elementary schools will begin providing Supplemental Education Services designed to improve student learning. Four elementary schools will offer Supplemental Education Services, as well as allowing families to choose other district schools for their children.
All Norfolk schools showed improvement in at least one area measured by the federal standards. A majority of schools - 71 percent - posted gains in English, or Math, or both. Six schools had 90 percent or higher achievement in most of the subgroups measured by NCLB. All high schools showed gains in the Federal Graduation Index (FGI).
Some schools, such as James Monroe Elementary and Lindenwood Elementary, posted significant gains in multiple subject areas. Lindenwood’s progress in English, history and fifth-grade science is most welcome.
However, Norfolk and other school divisions in the state and country have been challenged to meet the federal government’s definition of Adequate Yearly Progress because federal criteria are changing rapidly, and in large increments. For example, the percentage of students required to demonstrate proficiency in English and math jumped five and six percentage points respectively in one year, and was scheduled to increase by even larger increments over the next two years to reach 100 percent.
“We all want our students to be successful,” said Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Richard Bentley. “However, the federal standards have been like a 360-degree teeter-totter that spins and shoots up simultaneously. We want our schools to focus instead on high-quality student learning.”
President Obama announced earlier this week that he will provide states a way to seek relief from the federal law, which the administration said needs to be fixed. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said No Child Left Behind is "forcing districts into one-size-fits-all solutions that just don't work.”
For the coming school year and beyond, Norfolk Public Schools will concentrate on three Achievable Results: ensuring that all students graduate on time; gaining full state accreditation for all schools; and engaging the community in the school division’s success. The School Board this summer has reviewed plans for how the division will achieve these results.
Dr. Bentley said his direction to teachers and administrators will be to focus on the content, knowledge and skills our children need, and to stop teaching to the test.
“If we deliver high-quality instruction to our students every day, and get them excited about their own learning, the results will follow,” he said.
2011 AYP Results (PDF Format)
