Minnesota Department of Education releases AYP scores

Each year officials with the Minnesota Department of Education put together a list that reveals how schools and school districts measure up.

Schools and districts are measured in four areas – student participation in taking state standardized tests, test scores, attendance and graduation rates. The end result of this list is called Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP.

AYP measures the ability levels of students within the following subgroups: all students; American Indian/Alaskan Native students; Asian/Pacific Islander students; Hispanic students; black students not of Hispanic origin; white students not of Hispanic origin; limited English proficient students; special education students and students eligible for free- or reduced-priced meals.

The state tests that all students are required to take are called Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-Series II and Series III exams. These tests are given to students in grades 3-8 and 10 to measure their reading abilities and grades 3-8 and 11 to test their proficiency levels in math.

Last year was the first year the MCA-III test was given to students in grades 3-8. It was reformatted by the MDE and the majority of students took the test electronically.

The reason school districts care about whether or not students do well on these MCA exams is because they could face consequences if they do not show improvement in test scores each year.

If a school district or school makes AYP (meaning the majority of students scored proficient in reading and math, showed good attendance, etc.) then the school district fulfills the requirements of the No Child Left Behind act, a federal act ensuring accountability for schools designated as Title I and Title III.

NCLB sinks its teeth into schools or school districts classified as Title I, meaning schools that have a certain portion of its students receiving free- or reduced-priced meals. Title I schools and school districts have stricter consequences for not making AYP because they receive Title I state funding.

Every year a new index target set by the NCLB act is established based on the assumption that by 2014, all students will be 100 percent proficient in reading, math and testing participation.

The more proficient students test on their exam, the more points they can earn for their school and school district. But every year a higher index target is set by the state.

NCLB mandates those school districts and schools that do not consecutively make AYP undergo a series of improvements. The more years a district or school does not make AYP (and still collects Title I funding), the more improvements are required.

The levels of improvement under NCLB are “school choice,” “supplemental services,” “corrective action,” “prepare for restructuring” and “school is restructured.”

This summer Minnesota sought a temporary waiver from certain provisions of NCLB, but the U.S. Department of Education has not acted on the waiver request.

Federal law states that schools that do not meet AYP must face the same consequences as they did in previous years under NCLB. If Minnesota is granted a waiver, relief from those mandates may come.

The scores of the MCA exams were released in September by the MDE. Many school districts experienced seeing lower math scores from students who took the MCA-III exam. Lower math scores largely affected the AYP grades for many school districts.

To see the AYP results, visit http://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html.

Bagley Schools

Bagley Alternative Learning Program made AYP, but is not Title I in 2012.

Bagley School District and Bagley Elementary did not make AYP this year. This is the second consecutive year the district has not made AYP and is now classified as “needs improvement” under NCLB. Bagley Elementary has not made AYP since 2008, so will be implementing corrective action under NCLB.

Bagley High School also did not make AYP, but is not Title I in 2012.

Bemidji Schools

Schools within the Bemidji School District that made AYP this year are J.W. Smith Elementary, Lincoln Elementary and Solway Elementary.

The Bemidji Middle School, First City School, Alternative Learning Program and Oshki Manidoo Center also made AYP this year, but are not Title I in 2012.

The Bemidji School District and Central Elementary School did not make AYP this year. Bemidji School District made AYP last year, but not this year, so it is classified under NCLB as “needs improvement.” This is the first year since 2003 Central Elementary has not made AYP.

The Bemidji Middle School, Northern Elementary, Bemidji High School, First City School, Horace May Elementary, Bemidji Youth Learning and Working, Bemidji Area Learning Center and Bemidji Lumberjack High School also did not make AYP this year, but are not Title I in 2012.

Blackduck Schools

Blackduck Public School District and Blackduck Elementary both made AYP this year. Blackduck Elementary has made AYP every year since 2003.

Blackduck High School also made AYP this year, but is not Title I in 2012.

Cass Lake-Bena

Cass Lake-Bena School District, CL-B Elementary and CL-B Middle School did not make AYP this year. CL-B School District has not made AYP since 2003, so it will be implementing corrective action under NCLB. CL-B Elementary has not made AYP for three years so it will be implementing supplemental services. CL-B Middle School also has not made AYP since 2003 so it will be preparing to restructure under NCLB.

CL-B High School and CL-B Area Learning Center also did not make AYP, but are not Title I in 2012.

Clearbrook-Gonvick

Clearbrook-Gonvick School District and elementary school did not make AYP this year.

This is the second consecutive year the district has not AYP so it has been classified as “needs improvement” under NCLB. This is the first year since 2003 Clearbrook-Gonvick Elementary has not made AYP.

Clearbrook-Gonvick High School also did not make AYP, but is not Title I in 2012.

Kelliher Schools

Kelliher Public School District, Kelliher Elementary and Kelliher Secondary all made AYP this year. Kelliher Elementary has made AYP every year since 2003.

Laporte Schools

Laporte High School made AYP this year. It had previously not made AYP since 2008.

Laporte School District and Laporte Elementary did not make AYP this year. Laporte School District has not made AYP in three years and is classified as “needs improvement” under NCLB. This is the first year Laporte Elementary has not made AYP since 2003.

Red Lake Schools

Red Lake Elementary School made AYP this year, the first time since 2006. However, the school is still undergoing preparation for restructuring under NCLB.

Red Lake School District, Ponemah Elementary, Red Lake High School, Red Lake Middle School and Red Lake Middle Level Alternative Learning Center did not make AYP this year.

Under NCLB, Red Lake School District is implementing correction action and Red Lake Middle School “is restructured.”

Redby Group Home, Red Lake Alternative Learninig Center and Red Lake Juvenile Detention also did not make AYP, but are not Title I in 2012.

Nevis Schools

Nevis School District and Nevis Elementary made AYP this year.

Nevis Area Learning Program and Nevis High School both made AYP this year, but are not Title I in 2012.

Schoolcraft

Schoolcraft Learning Community District and school made AYP this year.

Because the school district did not make AYP the previous two years, it is classified as “needs improvement” under NCLB. Also under NCLB, the school is implementing “school choice” since it did not make AYP the previous two years.

TrekNorth

TrekNorth Junior & Senior High School District and school did not make AYP this year.

Because this is the second year the school district has not made AYP, it is classified as “needs improvement” under NCLB. The High School will also be implementing “school choice” under NCLB.

Voyageurs

Voyageurs Expeditionary High School District and school did not make AYP this year.

The school district has not made AYP since 2005 so it will be implementing corrective action under NCLB, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. The high school will be preparing for restructuring under NCLB.

Walker-Hack-Akeley

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School and WHA Alternative Program made AYP this year, but are not Title I in 2012.

WHA School District and WHA Elementary did not make AYP this year. The school district made AYP in 2009, but not in 2010. It will be implementing corrective action. WHA Elementary has not made AYP in three years, so it will be implementing supplemental services.