The Commerce Journal

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August 17, 2012

CISD misses AYP

Numbers complicated by increase in standards, new accountability test

By Caleb Slinkard The Commerce Journal

COMMERCE — Commerce Independent School District failed to meet the 2012 Adequate Yearly Progress marks, according to a report released by the Texas Education Agency last week. Commerce High School failed the reading performance standards, and Commerce Middle School and A.C. Williams missed both reading and mathematics standards. Commerce Elementary was not evaluated.

“Under the accountability provisions in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, all public school campuses, school districts, and the state are evaluated for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP),” according to the TEA website. “Districts, campuses, and the state are required to meet AYP criteria on three measures: Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, and either Graduation Rate (for high schools and districts) or Attendance Rate (for elementary and middle/junior high schools).”

According to the TEA, 48 percent of Texas schools failed to meet AYP standards, compared with 34 percent from last year.

Understanding AYP results becomes more complicated considering the state’s decisions to switch from the TAKS test to the STAAR test. The 2012 AYP evaluations are based on STAAR results for students in third through eighth grade and TAKS results for 10th graders.

Federal standards increase each year as part of the NCLB Act’s goal of having 100 percent of students proficient in reading and math by 2014. This year, schools were required to have 87 percent of students pass in reading/English language arts and 83 percent in math, up seven and eight percent from 2011, respectively.

Districts and campuses will not receive accountability ratings in 2012 due to the state’s switch to the STAAR test, according to the TEA.

Campuses, districts or states that fail to meet AYP standards for two years in a row are required to offer supplemental education, school choice and/or take corrective action, according to the TEA., granted that that entity is receiving Title I, Part A funds.

There are five stages, with a campus or district falling into the fifth stage after missing AYP standards for six straight years. At that point, according to the TEA, the district or campus can either replace the principal and staff, contract with a private management company, restructure the administration or have the state take over the operation of the district.

Districts and campuses have until Sept. 7, to appeal their preliminary 2012 AYP status in writing under the signature of the superintendent. Their final AYP status will be determined in late 2012.

“We knew going in it would be a struggle because of the increased standards, the change in tests and the three percent cap on special needs students,” CISD Superintendent Blake Cooper said. “We’re going to work hard to get off that list and accomplish the required improvement steps.”

Cooper and many other Texas educators have been outspoken in their dislike for high-stakes testing.

“I’ve never said we don’t need accountability,” he said. “We do, and we need testing. But this high-stakes testing has got to go.”

CISD missed AYP standards in 2011 but was rated academically acceptable.

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