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AZ LEARNS LABEL
AYP Determination
What is "No Child Left Behind?" (NCLB) This new law represents the most sweeping changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since it was enacted in 1965. It changes the federal government's role in kindergarten-through-grade 12 education by asking schools to describe their success in terms of student achievement. The act contains the President's four basic education reform principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.
Similar in scope and nature to NCLB, Arizona Governor Jane Hull signed into law Arizona LEARNS, which provides schools with a definition of academic progress and accountability. The goals of Arizona LEARNS are to promote greater student achievement and establish rewards for results, using the Arizona Academic Standards as the benchmark.
After October, 2002, schools across the state received achievement profiles and labels identifying them as “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing Plus,” “Performing,” “Underperforming” or after two years, “Failing to Meet Academic Standards.” The Arizona LEARNS labeling formula is based on AIMS data and Stanford 9 test data from 2001 to 2003. Effective School Year 2004-2005, the Terra Nova has replaced the SAT9 in Grades two and nine. For Grades 3-8, norm-referenced (NRT) scores are taken from the AIMS Dual purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA).
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The Arizona Legislature and the Arizona Board of Education have set the standards for each of the labels. The labels “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing Plus,” “Performing,” “Underperforming” and “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” are based on (1) a school's baseline level of achievement and amount of improvement over time on AIMS and (2) one year's growth on Stanford 9. A “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” school is one that receives an “Underperforming” label for two consecutive years. Schools that receive “Excelling,” Highly Performing,” “Performing,” have no further responsibilities under Arizona LEARNS. “Underperforming” schools must initiate a series of actions to increase student achievement. “Failing to Meet Academic Standards” schools are subject to additional actions above and beyond those mandated by the “Underperforming” label.
Regarles of what label New Horizon gets the focus will continue to be on success for all students. As the Arizona Department of Education continues to evaluate the performance of students and assign labels, the New Horizon School will continue its work to ensure that that no child is left behind.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)AYP is a measure that all states use to determine if schools and districts are meeting the high expectations described in NCLB. The goal, under this system, is that 100% of our students will meet or exceed the Arizona Academic Standards by the 2013-2014 school years. In order to meet that goal, schools and districts must meet certain objectives each year. Each year the State released a report on AYP for all schools and districts in Arizona. The report gives a simple yes or no grade, based on the percent of students that are meeting the Arizona Academic Standards on the AIMS test. In addition, schools and districts must meet a percent tested goal and either an attendance rate or graduation rate goal.
The data is calculated for all students as well as subgroups of students (i.e., racial and ethnic groups, English language learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students). If any of these groups does not meet their objectives, then the school will not have made AYP. (Note: only groups larger than 30 are counted.) |