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Adequate Yearly Progress results released, graduation rate jumps 7 percent

August 5, 2009

Contact: Heidi Embley
ASD Communications
Phone: 907-742-4158
E-mail: embley_heidi@asdk12.org
Web: www.asdk12.org
View the AYP report at www.asdk12.org/NCLB/AYP

The Anchorage School District’s Adequate Yearly Progress report released today shows overall test scores are slightly down, however, preliminary results of the district’s graduation rate show an increase of nearly 5 percentage points, from 64.96 to 69.40 percent, or 7 percent of the overall score.

AYP results

In order to make AYP, as determined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, each school must meet up to 31 specific targets. Missing even one target means the school did not make AYP. Proficiency, test participation, attendance and graduation rates are used to determine AYP for each school each year.

Schoolwide results for the district’s 96 schools are as follows:

96 percent met the test participating requirement.
85 percent met the language arts requirement.
89 percent met the math requirement.
97 percent met the attendance/graduation requirement.

Thirty nine ASD schools met every requirement for which they were accountable. Fifteen missed AYP by just one target; 42 schools missed by two or more targets.

Language arts scores declined from 81.4 to 80.4 percent over last year and math scores declined from 73.7 to 71.4 percent since last year.

“Although slight, we are concerned with the overall decrease in test scores,” said Superintendent Carol Comeau. “However, I do believe AYP is just a snapshot and not an accurate reflection of our students’ achievement. We will continue to look at the progress of all of our students and not just test scores of those in groups held accountable by AYP.

“We just recently received AYP and other assessment data so now my staff and I will spend the next several weeks analyzing scores school by school, reviewing our curriculum and making necessary changes to ensure that our educational plans are properly aligned to state standards.”

Later this fall, the district will release a thorough report on all students’ scores in grades 3-12 across the district in its annual Profile of Performance.

By federal law, the district is required to offer students in Title I schools that did not make AYP an option to attend a school that did. Eleven ASD Title I schools will offer enrollment choice in 2009-10. Generally, only about 1 percent of students eligible request school transfers.

Schools that will offer enrollment choice during the 2009-10 school year are:

Title I school	Receiving schools
Airport Heights Elementary	Rogers Park Elementary or Susitna Elementary
AVAIL	Frontier Charter or Polaris K-12
Chinook Elementary	Kincaid Elementary or Lake Hood Elementary
Clark Middle	Alaska Native Cultural Charter* or Mirror Lake Middle
Fairview Elementary	Lake Hood Elementary or Turnagain Elementary
Lake Otis Elementary	Rogers Park Elementary or Susitna Elementary
North Star Elementary	Lake Hood Elementary or Turnagain Elementary
Ptarmigan Elementary	Scenic Park Elementary or Susitna Elementary
Tyson Elementary	Scenic Park Elementary or Susitna Elementary
Williwaw Elementary	Inlet View Elementary or Kasuun Elementary
Willow Crest Elementary	Inlet View Elementary or Lake Hood Elementary

*Available to Clark Middle School sixth-grade applicants only.

Parents from these schools can learn more about their options under No Child Left Behind from their neighborhood school or the district’s Web: www.asdk12.org/NCLB/AYP.

Graduation rate

The district continues to make progress in its efforts to graduate more students with diplomas and realized a significant increase to its graduation rate with a 7 percent gain over last year, from 64.96 to 69.40 percent respectively.

“ASD staff, from high schools all the way down to elementary schools, has been working very hard for years to keep students in school, stay focused on their goals and earn diplomas. I’m very pleased to see those efforts are paying off,” said Comeau. “I believe we are on the right track and these graduation figures prove that.”

Polaris K-12 School is the district’s first school to earn a 100 percent graduation rate. School principal Denise Greene-Wilkinson said this year’s accomplishment would not have been possible without her dedicated staff and parents.

“Together, students, staff and parents embark on a journey in pursuit of various goals, one of which is the completion of the student’s public education. I believe our graduation rates reflect having all three groups involved throughout the student’s K-12 career,” said Greene-Wilkinson.

The district will continue to increase its efforts to make students college and career-ready by piloting several new initiatives this year through the use of stimulus funds.

“I’m pleased the district has the rare opportunity to put additional efforts in place such as college and career-readiness plans and changing the way staff assess how well students are grasping instruction,” said Comeau. “I truly believe that once the stimulus funds are expended in two years, we’ll have learned a lot, successfully implemented new ways of teaching, and made great strides in our students’ achievement and our test scores will be back on track.”

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