Grad Rates, Absences Among AYP Stumbling Blocks

Based on the updated Adequate Yearly Progress report released Wednesday by the Georgia Department of Education, officials with Paulding County Schools have at least three clear areas to focus on if they hope to make AYP as a district next year.

Adequate Yearly Progress is a measure that shows how schools are meeting goals prescribed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. And while 25 of Paulding’s schools made AYP—including five that were added in the updated results—eight remained short of required benchmarks, keeping the district from making AYP as a whole.

Each of those eight schools came up short based on one of three factors—pass rates on the reading/English Language Arts portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), absences and graduation rates.

Schools not making AYP in the updated report and the factors that went into the determination were:

• Baggett Elementary: The Students With Disabilities (SWD) subgroup fell short of pass rate goals on the CRCT reading/English Language Arts exam.
• Austin Middle: The school had 16.9 percent of its SWD students absent for more than 15 days—just over the 15-percent limit.
• East Paulding Middle: The SWD subgroup came up short on the reading/ELA exam.
• Scoggins Middle: The school saw 15.9 percent of its economically disadvantaged students notch more than 15 absences—over the 15-percent limit.
• East Paulding High: A graduation rate of 81.6 percent—under the required 85 percent—puts the school in NI Year Two, which will require the offering of both public school choice and supplemental education services (tutoring). High schools last year were required to meet or surpass an 80-percent graduation rate.
• Hiram High: The graduation rate of 79 percent was short of the required 85 percent or higher rate.
• Paulding County High: The school recorded a graduation rate of 64.8 percent—under the required 85 percent. The results will put the school in NI Year Four, which will require corrective action and the offering of both public school choice and supplemental education services (tutoring).
• South Paulding High: Overall, the school notched a graduation rate of 80.9 percent, short of the goal of 85 percent. The results put the school in NI Year One status, which will require it to offer either public school choice or supplemental education services (tutoring).

Making AYP has become tougher in recent years due to the ramping up of academic goals. Schools across the state will have to continue to increase their academic results as goals move closer to a required 100-percent proficiency for all students by 2014.

The entire list of schools making Adequate Yearly Progress (with the schools making AYP following updated results in bold) were:

• Abney Elementary
• Allgood Elementary
• Burnt Hickory Elementary
• C.A. Roberts Elementary
• Dallas Elementary
• Dugan Elementary
• Hiram Elementary
• Hutchens Elementary
• McGarity Elementary
• Nebo Elementary
• New Georgia Elementary
• Northside Elementary
• Panter Elementary
• P.B. Ritch Elementary
• Poole Elementary
• Ragsdale Elementary
• Russom Elementary
• Shelton Elementary
• Union Elementary
• Dobbins Middle
• Herschel Jones Middle
• McClure Middle
• Moses Middle
• South Paulding Middle
• North Paulding High