The DeKalb County School System met all necessary benchmarks this past year in all schools based on the latest Average Yearly Performance results, according to Supervisor of Instruction Carol Hendrix.
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools and school districts are measured on whether the students meet performance benchmarks in math, reading and attendance for grades 3-8 and math, English and graduation rate for high schools. Schools that do not meet the achievement standards for two years are deemed high priority.
DeKalb County High School remains a High Priority School based on a low graduation rate two years ago, but Hendrix says this past year the graduation rate improved. ” A school must meet the benchmark for two years before it comes off the High Priority list. This is the first year that the high school has met all the benchmarks. The year before last, DCHS didn’t meet the graduation rate, but this past year the school met all the academic benchmarks as well as the graduation rate. This is the first year. If the school meets all the benchmarks including the graduation rate for a second year, it will no longer be a high priority school.”
Hendrix says based on the local AYP results ” This is a clear indication that teachers and principals are working hard to ensure that students receive an appropriate education and are able to reach their fullest potential.”
“The progress of schools statewide is a clear indication that Tennessee’s improvement strategies are working,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said. “I commend the hard work of the teachers and principals responsible for helping these schools meet their goals. We will continue to provide every support available to ensure all schools can improve student achievement.”
AYP status is also calculated each year for the following student subgroups: White, Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners.
New This Year:
? For the first time, student performance for grades 3-8 is included in the AYP calculations where previously the law required only three grades in K-8 to be used.
? Tennessee is one of two states permitted to apply a growth model to allow schools to demonstrate progress. Eight schools met the AYP standards using this new method.
? This is also the first year Tennessee high schools are being measured by the graduation rate for the prior school year. The one-year lag allows schools and districts to receive credit for summer graduates, which aligns with No Child Left Behind’s standard of graduating in four years and a summer.
NCLB identifies schools that have missed a federal benchmark in the same category for two consecutive years. Tennessee elects to alert schools and districts that are at-risk of becoming a high priority school under NCLB. These schools receive additional support and assistance from the state in order to avoid the NCLB high priority list. Schools that have missed one or more benchmarks for one year are considered target schools. This year, 229 Tennessee schools will receive state support as target schools.
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