Area schools fall short on several AYP goals

MONTGOMERY - While more than 83 percent of Alabama's 1,367 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress goals that are required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a few individual schools in northwest Alabama missed the goal in one or more areas.

State school Superintendent Joe Morton on Monday explained the results for the 2007-08 year to the state school board and its president, Gov. Bob Riley.

"Just four years ago, only 23 percent of schools met all their yearly progress goals," Riley said. "Alabama's schools have made tremendous progress during the past few years."

Morton said of the 227 schools that did not make adequate progress, 134 made between 90 percent and 99 percent of their goals and only 10 schools statewide made less than 60 percent of their goals.

All school systems in the state made their goals except for the Sumter and Butler county systems, but some individual schools did not. That's partly because it's getting harder to make adequate progress each year as the proficiency bar is raised.

Some schools in northwest Alabama made as many as 12 of 13 goals, but fell short on one goal.

Schools in northwest Alabama that didn't make their total goals and their school systems were Cherokee High School in Colbert County, Florence Freshman Center and Florence High School in Florence, Waterloo High School in Lauderdale County, Phil Campbell High School in Franklin County, R.A. Hubbard and Hazlewood high schools in Lawrence County, Russellville High School in Russellville, W.A. Threadgill Primary School and L.W. Willson Elementary School in Sheffield, and Deshler High School in Tuscumbia.

Florence High School passed 14 of 17 categories but fell short in high school graduation rate and in reading by students receiving free and reduced lunches and minorities.

Florence Superintendent Kendy Behrends said not making the 90 percent graduation rate a second year in a row put the high school in the "needs improvement" category.

"We anticipated that and last year we put in place some programs for struggling students," she said. "We have to implement strategies for school improvement in grades nine through 12."

Waterloo High School has such a small graduating class that a few students not graduating prevents the school from reaching the 90 percent goal.

"If you have 20 students and you lose two between the ninth and 12th grades, you only have a 90 percent graduation rate and that's all you can possibly lose," said Lauderdale County Superintendent William Valentine.

"We are working very hard and are very conscientious in working to maintain our graduation rates, and I think we're doing an excellent job getting programs in place to meet the needs of the students," he said.

In Colbert County, Cherokee High School did not meet the overall goal because it did not make a 90 percent graduation rate, although it made 12 of the 13 goals.

Cherokee High School Principal Allison Whisenant said the graduation rate is being addressed.

"Although Cherokee High School did not make AYP due to the graduation rate based on the 2007-08 data, the high school along with the Colbert County school system is taking steps to ensure the success of every student, and we'll work together to increase our graduation rate," she said.

Phil Campbell High School also made 12 of 13 goals, but had a graduation rate of 72 percent.

"We know they're not graduating, and we have a graduation coach at the school who's working hard to remedy that problem," said Superintendent Bill Moss. "You can't do it all in one year."

R.A. Hubbard and Hazlewood high schools in Lawrence County also didn't make the overall goal. Hazlewood High School made 12 of 13, but its graduation rate is 88 percent.

Hubbard school missed four of 13 goals, including lack of sufficient participation in three tests, and had a graduation rate of 85

percent.

Lawrence County Superintendent Dexter Rutherford said there may have been incomplete tests that lowered the participation rate in third-grade reading and math.

Russellville High School made 12 of 13 standards, but did not make adequate progress because not enough students who are on free or reduced-price lunch made proficient grades in reading.

Russellville Superintendent Wayne Ray said this is the first time that Russellville High School has not made its goal.

"The elementary and middle school, we did exceptionally well," he said. "We're going to do an analysis of this and do everything we can to bring it up."

The Adequate Yearly Progress analysis is a federal mandate that all students by the 2013-14 year must be proficient in reading and math, and that at least 90 percent who start school graduate from high school.

Results are based on reading and math tests given in grades 3-8, the high school graduation exam given for the first time to 11th graders, and the Alabama Alternate Assessment in grades 3-8 and 11.

To show adequate progress, schools generally must have at least 95 percent participation rates on tests, or show improvement from the previous year, attendance rates of at least 95 percent, show proficiency or improvement from the previous year in tested materials, and a high school graduation rate of at least 90 percent.