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Thursday, August 28, 2008

AYP Status Doesn't Tell Whole Story

By Renee Mestas
Curriculum Coordinator/Federal Programs Director for Moriarty-Edgewood School District
          On August 21, 2008, an article appeared in the Telegraph that attempted to summarize the information presented at the Public Adequate Yearly Progress meeting held and led by me on August 14, 2008. This meeting is mandated through regulations of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act and is intended to provide public information regarding the math and reading proficiency of students in grades 3-8 and 11 as measured through the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment. The ultimate goal is that 100 percent of all tested students will demonstrate proficiency in both reading and math by the year 2014, and predetermined proficiency targets decide a school's proficiency status for a given year.
        Much good has come from NCLB, particularly as educators have become more informed, engaged and skilled in determining which students are and are not achieving proficient status. However, the system remains one that is based on failure. In order for a school to make Adequate Yearly Progress, all of the following conditions must be met:
        Ninety-five percent of eligible students must participate in the assessment; if not, the school is considered to not have achieved AYP regardless of overall performance in the areas of reading and math.
        Proficiency targets in reading and math must be met by all students, including the entire eligible population and subgroups that are large enough to be counted.
        In elementary and middle schools, attendance rates must meet or exceed 92 percent and at the high school level, graduation rates must exceed 90 percent.
        At the elementary level alone, there are 37 different targets, and it only takes one missed target to fail. Of all the possible targets for Moriarty-Edgewood Schools combined, 89 percent were achieved. A close examination of performance in all target areas certainly reveals opportunities for improvement, but it also illuminates the frequently overlooked achievement that calls for celebration as well.
        Although the article described the declining math scores for Moriarty High School 11th-graders, it failed to mention that these students have not benefited throughout their educational career from a Standards Based Math curriculum as have students at lower grade levels. In fact, we are beginning to see tremendous growth in math proficiency at all schools and at all grades spanning elementary- and middle-school levels. For the district elementary schools together, overall math performance increased by approximately 10 percent from the prior year. And at the middle-school level, performance was even more impressive with an approximately 15 percent increase in proficiency. District leaders, building administrators and school staff are working together diligently to deliver a strong and cohesive math program grounded in sound research, and across the district the approach is yielding only positive results. This approach to math is well-embedded at the elementary- and middle-school levels. It is now being expanded at the high school in a strategic fashion to meet the needs of students who are coming to high school with middle-school backgrounds in Standards Based Math as well as to meet the needs of students who have not benefited from exposure to the program.
        Research-based programs and strategies are being provided in reading as well. The general trend in reading performance has been more of a "holding steady" pattern, with both increases and decreases seen across the board. It is worth noting, though, that at the elementary- and middle-school levels, reading proficiency for all students continues to exceed designated targets. Specific plans for reading are being implemented at the district and school-site levels to provide continued focus and progress in reading.
        Particular attention was given in the article to fostering relationships between families and the school community. Family involvement in a child's educational experience is shown through research to contribute positively toward academic achievement. Building partnerships with families is a focal point for all schools as well as the district in the upcoming year as specific plans will be developed to increase collaboration between the school and the community. Foundational to the relationship-building process is an understanding by both sides of the viewpoints and challenges of the other side. This was the key concept that failed to accompany my final quote included in the article and is related to the importance of perception. Many times the way two parties perceive a circumstance is not the same, and this lack of common perception can present a sometimes invisible barrier that steals the potential of the relationship. Teachers work as hard as just about anybody I know, and most labor endlessly to provide the best education possible for their students. Ironically, that's all most parents are asking for in the daily school experience of their children. The first step in clarifying perception is to present all of the significant facts and viewpoints, and my hope is that this response enables that process.