18 Mat-Su Schools fail 2004 AYP

WASILLA -- Just over half of Mat-Su Borough Schools passed the Adequate Yearly Progress report for 2004-2005 in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Twenty out of 38 schools passed, while another 18 schools did not meet AYP standards, a fact that could cost the borough nearly $500,000 to transport students from schools that didn't demonstrate AYP to schools that did.

Each school must meet 31 objectives in order to reach AYP standards. If even one category was missed, a school did not reach AYP standards for this year. For some schools the consequences were stiff and they will only increase each subsequent year the school does not make AYP.

Each year a school fails to reach AYP it faces ever-increasing sanctions that could eventually culminate in replacing most of the staff and teachers of a school that fails AYP for five consecutive years.

To make AYP, schools must demonstrate that 64.03 percent of their students are proficient in reading, writing and language arts, while another 54.86 percent of students are proficient in mathematics. This was the same as last year but next year the bar will rise, meaning schools will have to show that 70.03 percent of their students are proficient in reading, writing and language arts and 62.38 percent are proficient in mathematics.

The percentages will continue to increase until all students in all categories are required to be proficient by the 2013-14 school year.

For many schools, missing AYP this year does not necessarily indicate that the school, as a whole, failed to educate students.

Each school is broken into nine different student subcategories: African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian, white, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and limited English proficiency.

Those in each subcategory must demonstrate proficiency in order for a school to meet AYP, which means that even if 90 percent of the overall school body meets proficiency standards, the school could still fail AYP if one subcategory did not reach proficiency.

Other important categories in which students must pass include graduation rates, attendance rates and 95-percent participation for the standardized tests that measure AYP.

Eleven Valley schools failed to reach AYP this year for missing only one or two subcategories, and 12 schools missed AYP standards for the second year in a row.

Parents who have children attending those Title-1 schools, which missed AYP standards for the second straight year in a row, will have the option to have their children bused to alternative schools that did meet AYP standards.

The district plans to notify parents soon with results of AYP.

Mat-Su Borough Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle estimates that nearly 3,000 letters will be sent out to parents whose children attended non-AYP- compliant schools. The letters will detail what each school is doing to address those areas in which the school did not meet AYP.

Doyle cautioned parents to take a close look at the results for the schools their children attended before choosing to move their kids to alternative locations.

According to Doyle, moving students to alternative locations does not necessarily mean those children will receive a better education.

"I think people have to look beyond the initial results," Doyle said. For instance, schools could fail AYP for not reaching attendance quotas.

"If they don't have 85-percent attendance every day, it doesn't matter how proficient the school is, you failed," Doyle said.

If all students who qualify for transportation to alternate schools choose that option, Doyle estimates the transportation cost will be nearly $500,000.

Kim Floyd, public information specialist for the Mat-Su Borough School District, said parents should be cautious about transferring their children. A school might not meet AYP in special education but that doesn't mean education in the other subcategories is deficient, according to Floyd.

Doyle has serious reservations about the entire testing scheme of No Child Left Behind.

"It's about keeping score, it's not about improving learning," Doyle said. "If it was about improving learning, they wouldn't be telling me that I need to take a half a million dollars out of instructional programming to hire nine buses and bus kids all around."

Doyle did indicate, however, that there are some benefits to the AYP.

"The benefits are to education people in general, like teachers, principals and central office school boards, who are able to look at achievement gaps regarding things like whether Alaska Natives as a whole are performing as well as [white children] as a whole in our school district," Doyle said.

According to Doyle, the AYP results could help administrators and educators determine whether there are broader things that need to be addressed to better educate specific groups. The bigger the average, the more relevant the test results, Doyle said.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.