Only two midstate school systems make AYP

By Jake Jacobs - jjacobs@macon.com

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Middle Georgia school systems did not fare well this year on the Adequate Yearly Progress report released Friday by the state Department of Education.

Only Monroe and Bleckley school systems in the midstate made AYP, which measures the improvement a school has made toward meeting state academic standards.

State to take over Weaver, Southwest
Weaver Middle and Southwest High schools in Macon have been placed on "state-directed status" by the state Department of Education for not making Adequate Yearly Progress five or more consecutive years.
According to new assessment guidelines from the state, this means the schools must:

Notify parents of each student enrolled in the school of the school's classification.
Provide supplemental education services for all students who are not meeting standards in reading, English/language arts or mathematics.
Offer Public School Choice to all students at the school.

Also, the schools must "enter into an annual state directed improvement contract with terms and conditions" directed by the Department of Education. Each contract will contain the following non-negotiable elements:
1. Assignment of a Department of Education state director to the school. The state director will be at the school full time and will provide direct supervision in the implementation of all school improvement actions:
Directly involved in decisions regarding replacement of staff (e.g., principal).
Ensures that instructional frameworks are used appropriately in each classroom.
Ensures benchmark assessments are given and results are analyzed to guide instruction.
Oversees implementation of short-term action plans.
Ensures that the leadership team analyzes teacher attendance and develops action plan if needed.
Ensures that the leadership team analyzes student attendance and develops action plan if needed.
Ensures that the leadership team analyzes discipline records and develops action plan if needed.
Ensures that the leadership team addresses targeted areas from GAPSS Review through the short-term action plans.
2. Other mandates for the state directed schools include:
Participation in GAPSS review at level 5 and 7.
Provide training, implementation and monitoring of instructional strategies through Raising Standards Academies.
Hiring instructional coaches for specific content area of need, based on AYP results.
3. Customized Contract Expectations: In addition to the set of non-negotiable actions, a set of customized expectations will be developed annually by the state with each school and system to address the unique issues a particular school faces in the coming school year. These expectations will be based on the most recent school data analysis available.
SOURCE: State Department of Education

Local school systems that did not meet AYP this year include Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Peach, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties.

Statewide, 68.8 percent of schools, or 1,481, met AYP while 31.2 percent, or 672, did not.

David Carpenter, Houston County schools superintendent, said Friday that although the local school system did not make AYP for the second year in a row, he is nonetheless pleased with the efforts of teachers and administrators in pursuing the goals.

"We made systemwide gains, especially in the two schools that did not make AYP - Houston County High and Northside High," Carpenter said. "It concerns me. Schools are graded on up to 11 areas, and these high schools met or exceeded the state levels of improvement in 10 of 11 areas. Just one area can bring down a school and have them labeled as a bad-performing school. It's not a fair process, but we're prepared to work on those areas."

Wanda Creel, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in Houston County, said the labeling is misleading because Northside High scores improved for all students.

"We saw in all populations an English/language arts improvement of 15.8 percent," Creel said. "There was a 25.8 percent score improvement for the black students and a 54.2 percent improvement for students with disabilities. That is tremendous in one year's time."

A new rigorous math curriculum for elementary and middle school students brought down some scores, said Bruce Giroux, director of assessment and accountability for Bibb County schools.

Some 13 Bibb County schools did not make AYP because of math scores that did not meet or exceed state requirements, he said.

Houston County's Carpenter said the new curriculum had an impact, but "I'm especially proud of our scores because of that. Our kids performed well."

In Bibb County, Weaver Middle and Southwest High again did not make AYP and are in "state-directed status," Giroux said, but the total meaning of that status wasn't immediately clear.

Kathy Cox, state superintendent of schools, received permission from the federal government earlier this month for a "differentiated accountability plan" for the state. That pilot program is to be implemented for the coming school year.

What this means for Weaver and Southwest is that a director from the state Department of Education will oversee operations at the schools, according to a news release from the department.

In Peach County, which made AYP last year, Anita Sprayberry, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said the local school system is poised to regain AYP next year.

The department is currently reviewing its practices and progress made in recent years, she said in a statement issued by the school district. "We are developing an action plan to achieve AYP in the future to create excellent academic performance from all of our schools."

Still, not making AYP carries a sting, said Creel in Houston County.

"It's about needing improvement, not about failing," she said. "We know the areas we need to work on, we target them, and work diligently to deliver the strategies to meet improvements."

Carpenter, her boss, went further.

"It's not fair to educators across the country who are working hard to meet the needs of students," he said. "We in Houston County won't be satisfied until all students achieve, and we'll work to meet that level."

To contact writer Jake Jacobs, call 923-6199, extension 305.

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