Commonwealth Makes AYP for Second Consecutive Year
Seventy-three Percent of Virginia Schools
Meet Higher NCLB Objectives

Virginia and 73 percent of the commonwealth’s public schools met or exceeded No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) achievement objectives during the 2005-2006 school year, according to preliminary information released today by the Virginia Department of Education. It was the second consecutive year in which Virginia made what the federal law calls Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and mathematics.

Of the 1,822 schools that earned AYP ratings based on tests taken in 2005-2006, at least 1,336, or 73 percent, met the federal education law’s requirements for increased student achievement. Those schools included 47 Title I schools in the commonwealth that escaped federal sanctions by making AYP for a second consecutive year, despite higher benchmarks in reading and mathematics and the introduction of testing in grades 4, 6, and 7.

Table 1. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for Virginia Public Schools

“Taken together, these factors represent a significant increase in expectations for both schools and students,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. “I congratulate all of the teachers, principals, administrators, and other educators who worked so hard to help students meet these higher standards.”

The shift from cumulative assessments in reading and mathematics in elementary and middle school to annual testing in grades 3-8 increased the rigor of the commonwealth’s assessment program, especially in middle school mathematics, by assessing deeper into the content at each grade level. Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) for middle school mathematics are designed to prepare students for Algebra I by grade 8, and at the latest, grade 9. The federal benchmarks increased by four points in both reading and mathematics, to 69 percent in reading and 67 percent in mathematics.

“The commonwealth’s public schools have again demonstrated their commitment to raising the achievement of all students,” said Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge.

Virginia made AYP by meeting or exceeding all of the objectives for participation in statewide testing and increased achievement.

Of the 400 schools that did not make AYP during 2005-2006, 130 met all but one of the federal law’s 29 objectives for participation in statewide testing and achievement in reading and mathematics, and 105 met all but two AYP benchmarks. The AYP status of 86 schools remains to be determined.

Last year, 80 percent of Virginia’s schools were initially reported as having made AYP based on preliminary 2004-2005 data. Appeals and the submission of additional data eventually increased the percentage to 83 percent. Of the schools that made AYP last year, 1,190 also made AYP based on tests administered during 2005-2006, while 245 did not. The schools that made AYP based on achievement during the 2005-2006 school year include 136 schools that did not make AYP last year based on 2004-2005 tests.

More School Divisions Make AYP

Seventy-two of Virginia’s 132 school divisions made AYP during 2005-2006, compared with 68 last year. Of the 52 school divisions that did not make AYP, 26 met all but one of the 29 objectives for achievement and participation in testing. The AYP ratings of 8 divisions remain to be determined.

Table 2. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for Virginia School Divisions

In 24 school divisions, all schools made AYP. These divisions include Alleghany County, Bath County, Botetourt County, Buena Vista, Charlotte County, Clarke County, Craig County, Dinwiddie County, Gloucester County, Goochland County, Highland County, Hopewell, Lexington, Manassas Park, Northampton County, Norton, Nottoway County, Patrick County, Roanoke County, Rockingham County, Salem, Scott County, Surry County, and West Point.

Forty-seven Title I Schools No Longer Sanctioned

Forty-seven Title I schools made AYP for a second consecutive year, and by doing so, exited school-improvement status. The success of these schools in raising student achievement resulted in the number of sanctioned Title I schools in Virginia falling from 111 to 63.

“The Board of Education’s accountability committee will be looking closely at these successful schools to identify best practices that could benefit other Title I schools and the students who attend them,” said Dr. Emblidge.

Title I schools receive funding under Title I of NCLB to provide educational services to low-income children and are the focus of most of the accountability provisions of the law. Under the law, Title I schools that do not make AYP in the same subject area for two or more consecutive years are identified for improvement. School-improvement sanctions increase in severity if a school fails to make AYP in the same subject area for additional consecutive years. A Title I school escapes federal sanctions by making AYP for two consecutive years.

Eight out of 10, or 573, of the commonwealth’s 732 Title I schools made AYP during 2005-2006. Of the Title I schools that did not make AYP, 38 met all but one of the 29 AYP objectives. The AYP status of 33 Title I schools remains to be determined.

Nineteen Title I schools entered or remained in “year one” of improvement based on achievement in 2005-2006 and must offer students the option of transferring to a higher-performing public school for the 2006-2007 school year. Twenty-nine Title I schools entered or remained in “year two” of improvement status, and in addition to offering transfers, must also provide supplemental educational services or tutoring free-of-charge to children who request these services. Eleven Title I schools entered or remained in “year three” of improvement status. These schools must offer transfers, tutoring, and take at least one of several corrective actions specified in the law to raise student achievement.

Two Title I schools, Elkhardt Middle in Richmond and Westview Elementary in Petersburg, entered “year four” of improvement status. Richmond and Petersburg must begin developing alternative governance plans for these schools while continuing to offer transfers and tutoring, and continuing to implement corrective action.

Two schools, Chandler Middle in Richmond and Vernon Johns Middle in Petersburg, entered “year five” of Title I school improvement. These schools must take one of the following actions:

• Reopen as a charter school;
• Replace all or most of the school staff relevant to the school’s failure to make AYP;
• Turn the management of the school over to a private educational management company or another entity with a demonstrated record of success; or
• Any other major restructuring of school governance.

AYP ratings are based primarily on the achievement of students on statewide assessments in reading, mathematics, and, in some cases, science. In Virginia, these assessments include SOL tests, substitute tests of equal or greater rigor such as Advanced Placement examinations, English-language proficiency tests taken by students learning English, and assessments taken by some students with disabilities.

Virginia’s AYP objectives based on 2005-2006 achievement were among the highest in the nation because of the progress students have made since 1995 under the SOL program. For a Virginia school or school division to have made AYP this year, at least 69 percent of students overall and of students in all subgroups (white, black, Hispanic, limited English, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged) must have demonstrated proficiency on statewide tests in reading, and 67 percent of students overall and in all subgroups must have demonstrated proficiency in mathematics.

Schools, school divisions, and states also must meet annual objectives for participation in testing and for attendance (elementary and middle schools) and graduation (high schools). Schools, school divisions, and states that meet or exceed these objectives are considered to have satisfied the law’s definition of AYP toward the goal of 100 percent proficiency of all students in reading and mathematics by 2014.

Reading Achievement

Overall achievement in reading increased with 84 percent of Virginia students passing SOL and other tests in reading during 2005-2006 compared with 81 percent during 2004-2005. The increase in reading achievement was especially noteworthy in grade 3. Eighty-four percent of third-grade students passed statewide tests in reading last year, an increase of 7 points over 2004-2005. All student subgroups improved in reading during 2005-2006:

• Hispanic reading achievement increased three points, from 73 percent in 2004-2005 to 76 percent in 2005-2006.
• Black students achieved a 73-percent pass rate in reading, compared with 70 percent during the previous year.
• The reading achievement of disadvantaged students increased four points, from 69 percent to 73 percent.
• Limited English students demonstrated a two-point increase in reading proficiency by achieving a 72-percent pass rate in 2005-2006, compared with 70 percent during the previous year.
• White students achieved an 89-percent pass rate in reading, a two-point increase from 87 percent during 2004-2005.
• Students with disabilities raised their reading achievement by 7 points, to 63 percent compared with 56 percent in 2004-2005.

Mathematics Achievement

Pass rates in mathematics were impacted by the introduction of new mathematics tests in previously untested grade levels of 4, 6, and 7. Student achievement often is low on new tests and many middle school students were challenged by the new mathematics assessments. The grade-6 and grade-7 mathematics assessments test deeply into content that is designed to prepare students for success in Algebra I in the eighth grade. The new eighth-grade mathematics test also is more rigorous than the previously administered cumulative grade-8 test that surveyed knowledge of three years of SOL content. Dr. Cannaday urged parents of middle school students not to be alarmed by lower-than-anticipated scores.

“We are now expecting middle school students to demonstrate a stronger command of rigorous mathematics content sooner than what was required before, and whenever standards are raised, there is a period of adjustment,” said Dr.Cannaday. “While many students did not do as well on the new mathematics tests as anticipated, the data from these assessments will be invaluable as teachers adjust instruction to help students meet these new higher expectations.”

Earlier this month, Dr. Cannaday convened a committee of middle school mathematics teachers and specialists, principals, superintendents, assessment directors, and other educators to analyze the performance of students on the new tests and identify factors associated with student success and content strands that caused students the most difficulty.

“Once we have this information, we can create additional resources to support teachers as they prepare students for success on the new tests, and ultimately in algebra,” said Dr. Cannaday.

Fifty-one percent of the students who took the new grade-6 mathematics test passed, and 44 percent tested on the new seventh-grade assessment passed. Achievement in previously assessed grades and in grade 4 was much higher.

• Ninety percent of third graders passed in mathematics.
• Seventy-seven percent of tested fourth graders passed in mathematics.
• Seventy-six percent of tested eighth graders passed in mathematics.
• Eighty-five percent of students who took end-of-course assessments in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry passed.

Overall, seventy-six percent of Virginia students tested last year in mathematics passed, compared with 84 percent in 2004-2005.

• Sixty-two percent of black students passed assessments in mathematics, compared with 73 percent during 2004-2005.
• The mathematics pass rate for disadvantaged students was 62 percent, compared with 74 percent during 2004-2005.
• Sixty-five percent of limited-English students passed in mathematics, compared with 77 percent during 2004-2005.
• Sixty-six percent of Hispanic students passed in mathematics, compared with 77 percent during the previous year.
• Eighty-one percent of white students passed in mathematics, compared with to 89 percent last year.
• Fifty-two percent of students with disabilities passed in mathematics, compared with 61 percent during 2004-2005.

Science Achievement

Science achievement factors into calculating AYP for elementary and middle schools that select achievement in science as an “other academic indicator.” Science also is a factor for high schools that make AYP through the “safe harbor” provision of NCLB. A school, division, or state makes AYP through safe harbor by reducing the failure rate in a subject area by 10 percent. Safe harbor may be invoked for all students or for students in one or more subgroups. Eighty-five percent of Virginia students passed tests in science, compared with 84 percent last year.

• Black students achieved a 73-percent pass rate in 2005-2006, compared with 72 percent during 2004-2005.
• Seventy-four percent of economically disadvantaged students passed science tests, compared with 73 percent during the previous year.
• Limited-English students achieved a pass rate of 69 percent in science, which was the same as the previous year.
• The percentage of Hispanic students demonstrating proficiency in science increased by one point to 74 percent.
• The achievement of white students in science was unchanged, with 91 percent passing state science tests.
• The achievement of students with disabilities in science increased by one point to 65 percent.

Preliminary AYP ratings and student achievement data for all Virginia public schools and school divisions are available in the Virginia School Report Card section of the Virginia Department of Education Web site (www.doe.virginia.gov).

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