TOPICAL SUMMARY JULY 2004 NORTHWEST REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY Office of Planning and Service Coordination Making Sense of Adequate Yearly Progress he No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The law states that “schools must What’s Inside Act of 2001 has brought about a establish a definition of adequate yearly 2—MARKING PROGRESS T sea change in education in the progress that each district and school is 3—CONSEQUENCES United States. While the act has its expected to meet. States must specify 4—STATES’ PLANS detractors—as well as its admirers— annual objectives to measure progress 5—REGIONAL AYP PATTERNS among educators, parents, government of schools and districts to ensure that 6—CONCLUSION officials, and the media, there is little all groups of students—including low- doubt that NCLB has cast new light on income students, students from major 6—BIBLIOGRAPHY public schools by using hard data to racial and ethnic groups, students with focus on achievement gaps at the indi- disabilities, and students with limited vidual school level. English proficiency—reach proficiency This Topical Summary discusses one [in reading and math] within 12 years.” Congress reauthorizes ESEA every five key aspect of NCLB: adequate yearly years: The No Child Left Behind Act of progress (AYP). It reviews the major FOUNDATION LEGISLATION 2001 is merely the latest incarnation. requirements of AYP, examines how When the law was passed, it received the five Northwestern states determine NCLB and its requirements for adequate widespread bipartisan support and AYP, and reports what the current data yearly progress grew out of the Elemen- President Bush hailed it as “the corner- tell us about the achievement gaps tary and Secondary Education Act stone of my administration.” During his among groups of students in these (ESEA), which Congress enacted in April first week in office, the President states. Finally, this report looks at how 1965 to provide guidance and funding to observed, “These reforms express my the top state education officials are public K–12 schools. This legislation deep belief in our public schools and viewing AYP results. formed the most important educational their mission to build the mind and component of President Lyndon B. John- character of every child, from every son’s “War on Poverty” by establishing background, in every part of America.” the Title I program, which provides PLACING AYP “compensatory” education funding for IN CONTEXT economically disadvantaged students. Over the years, ESEA has allocated bil- THE LATEST MODEL The adequate yearly progress (AYP) lions of dollars to schools with high pop- NCLB is the most sweeping reform yet requirement is at the core of NCLB’s ulations of economically disadvantaged of ESEA while renewing the federal accountability system. While AYP existed children through Title I. The act remains commitment to closing achievement in another form in prior legislation, a work in progress and continues to gaps. It establishes a framework for NCLB changed the emphasis from over- exert a powerful influence on education raising student achievement and adds all student performance to the perfor- and public policy in the United States accountability provisions to Title I mance of subgroups. some four decades after its inception. grantees. These provisions hold states, 2 progress. The process, summarized all five Northwest states, the AYP require- below, is drawn from No Child Left ment focuses immediate attention on Behind: A Desktop Reference, pub- those schools and groups of students that lished by the U.S. Department of Educa- lag behind their peers academically. tion. Each state has an accountability plan approved by the federal govern- STEP 3: STATES STEADILY school districts, and individual schools ment that specifies how the steps are INCREASE OBJECTIVES FOR accountable for improving the aca- implemented. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT demic achievement of all students, with all as the operative word. STEP 1: STATES ESTABLISH Once the baseline is established, the states The accountability provisions require ACADEMIC STANDARDS set interim AYP targets for increasing the that states: number of students who are proficient, • Create challenging academic content Academic standards articulate what stu- with the goal of 100 percent of students and student academic achievement stan- dents should know and be able to do; they reaching the state’s standards for profi- dards must apply uniformly to all schools and ciency by 2014. By 2004–2005, schools • Create assessments that measure the students in the state. The standards should are expected to have hit the first improve- reading and math skills of all students include challenging academic content in ment target. Other targets must be no in grades 3–8 annually and in at least academic subjects but must, according to more than three years apart, which means one grade during grades 10–12 by the NCLB, begin with standards in reading and the target will be reset at least five times in 2005–2006 school year math as the primary measures of AYP. By 12 years. Target increases must be equal • Issue “report cards” on each school’s the 2005–2006 school year, states also and incremental; for example, a state that academic achievements must have in place standards for science. starts at 40 percent in 2001–2002 might • Implement a single statewide account- After standards are established, states shoot for 45 percent in 2004, 50 percent ability system develop tests that measure whether stu- in 2006, 55 percent in 2008, and so on • Specify annual measurable objectives dents are “proficient” in reading and math until the 100 percent target is reached. that gauge student progress to ensure that by meeting state benchmarks. Targets for tested grade levels must be the all students reach proficiency in reading same for all schools and for all subgroups and math in 12 years with the data disag- STEP 2: STATES CALCULATE of students within schools. gregated for students with limited English THE STARTING POINT FOR AYP States were also required to set one proficiency and by income levels, race/ additional measure of academic ethnicity, and students with disabilities The goal of NCLB is for all students to be progress. For high schools, that mea- Being accountable for the performance proficient in reading and math by 2014. sure is the graduation rate. For elemen- of all students is one of the major chal- However, states set the initial starting tary and middle schools, each state lenges of NCLB. This accountability is point for determining whether schools selected its own measure—usually based on whether states, districts, and have made AYP by using 2001–2002 attendance rates, achievement on addi- schools are making adequate yearly assessment data in one of two ways. The tional state assessments, or decreases in progress toward the aim of bringing all baseline is either the passing rate for the grade-by-grade retention rates. students to academic proficiency by the lowest-performing subgroup of students end of the 2013–2014 school year. in the state (low income, disabled, lim- STEP 4: STATES MEASURE ited English proficient, racial/ethnic PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOL minority) or the passing rate for the DISTRICTS, SCHOOLS, AND school at the 20th percentile of overall GROUPS OF STUDENTS MARKING performance in the state, whichever is PROGRESS higher. The beginning target must be the Under NCLB, states must determine same for all groups of students at the annually if a Title I school is hitting the NCLB requires states to use a five-step tested grade level within a district or state-established AYP targets. States com- process to determine whether Title I school. By setting initial goals at the 20th pare the percentage of students in each schools are making adequate yearly percentile school, which is the case for school and the percentage of students in 3 each subgroup who meet proficiency • Parents are notified and given the standards to the statewide goals for the option of transferring their children to a year. States also measure whether the higher-performing school in the district. school has met the statewide goal for Priority is given to the lowest-achieving the additional academic indicator. AYP low-income students in that school. requirements are satisfied when the Transportation is provided or paid for school as a whole and each individual by the district out of its Title I allocation If the school does not make subgroup within the school meet or or another source. AYP for six consecutive years: exceed the statewide goals, with an aver- • The school must continue corrective age of 95 percent of the students com- If a school does not make AYP action. pleting the assessments. By 2005–2006, for three consecutive years: • The school must develop an “alter- states must begin assessing reading and • The school continues previous reme- nate governance” plan that includes one math every year in grades 3–8 and at diation activities. of the following actions: least once in grades 10–12. • Parents are given the option of using –Reopening the school as a public state-approved supplemental services charter school STEP 5: STATES BEGIN ACTION like tutoring. These services are paid –Replacing all or most of the staff TO HELP STRUGGLING SCHOOLS for with Title I funds. (School districts responsible for the lack of progress are required to spend 20 percent of –Engaging a private company to The sanctions for Title I schools not their Title I Part A funds for both sup- operate the school meeting AYP requirements are straight- plemental services and transportation –Turning over management of the forward under NCLB. for public school choice.) school to the state –Implementing other reforms If a school does not make AYP approved by the state for four consecutive years: It takes two consecutive years of mak- FACING THE • The school continues to notify par- ing AYP for a school to no longer be iden- CONSEQUENCES ents, provide transfer options, and offer tified as needing improvement.