Schools win appeal on progress

By Brandon Shulleeta

Published: October 2, 2008

After initially saying Albemarle County Public Schools fell short, the Virginia Department of Education now concludes that the county’s schools have made Adequate Yearly Progress.

“Our appeal was granted because of an error in coding on just a few students,” Luvelle Brown, Albemarle’s executive director of school and division improvement, said Thursday.

Although making Adequate Yearly Progress in the federal No Child Left Behind Act is a significant accomplishment, Brown said, Albemarle schools still have student achievement gaps that need to be bridged.

“Meeting all 29 indicators to make Adequate Yearly Progress is a tough thing to do, statistically. … Yes, it is a boost to morale. Whenever you’re told you’re doing a great job, it’s a positive thing for anyone,” Brown said. “But again, this is just the minimum expectation for us here in Albemarle.”

The state Department of Education concluded in August that the Albemarle school division met 28 of the 29 federal benchmarks required to make Adequate Yearly Progress. However, the state said the county’s graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students was below the benchmark.

Albemarle appealed the decision because of a data discrepancy. After a review, the Department of Education concluded this week that Albemarle made Adequate Yearly Progress.

Prior to reviewing appeals, the Department of Education reported in August that only 41 percent of Virginia school divisions made Adequate Yearly Progress.

Second year of progress

This is the second consecutive year that the Albemarle school division made Adequate Yearly Progress. Previously, Albemarle had failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress every year since the No Child Left Behind Act was established in 2001.

The percentage of Albemarle students who passed subject exams in 2007-08 was higher than the state average in every subject, including English, math, science, writing and history.

“We’ve got a ways to go,” said Bruce Benson, the division’s assistant superintendent of student learning. “We certainly have not closed the achievement gap at this point but we are making progress.

“I think we have put structures in place that really assist teachers, and [we’re] paying attention to every kid,” he said.

Benson said that the schools’ professional learning community model, in which teachers work collaboratively, has helped students “get to that next level of achievement, and that’s really what No Child is all about.”

Students are required to take exams by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and subpopulations of students have to meet achievement benchmarks in every subject for schools to make Adequate Yearly Progress. The percentage of students required to pass the tests increases each year.

In 2014, No Child Left Behind will require that all students be proficient in reading and math. Whether school divisions and their individual schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress is tied to student success on the state Standards of Learning exams.

Albemarle school officials attribute the increased passing rate for some student groups in the past two years to the division hiring literacy and math specialists to give extra attention to students who need help. The division has 16 full-time literacy specialists and five full-time math specialists.

However, five of Albemarle County’s 25 public schools — Jack Jouett, Henley and Walton middle schools, and Greer and Agnor-Hurt elementary schools — did not make Adequate Yearly Progress this year.

The state initially said that Burley also did not make Adequate Yearly Progress — claiming the attendance rate for economically disadvantaged students was below the benchmark — but that decision was also reversed this week.

Groups that have had the most difficult time meeting Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks in Albemarle schools have been black students and economically disadvantaged students, Brown said.

Only 59 percent of black students at Greer passed reading exams in 2007-08, down from 67 percent the previous school year.

Title I schools that do not meet the benchmarks for two consecutive years — such as Greer — must take corrective measures to bring student achievement to acceptable levels.

Pilot program helps

Usually, a school that is in Year 1 of School Improvement is required to give parents the option to transfer their children to another school in the district that is not in improvement status. However, Albemarle is one of eight school divisions in the state participating in a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Education to offer free tutoring services first.

The number of black students at Greer who pass English exams this year would have to increase by 22 percentage points for the school to match next year’s Annual Measurable Objective. However, a safe harbor provision in No Child Left Behind would allow black Greer students to make Adequate Yearly Progress in English next year by reducing failure rate by 10 percent. Otherwise, the school will be required to offer free tutoring next year and the option for students to transfer.

In step with 95 percent of Virginia schools, All 25 Albemarle schools are fully accredited and all nine Charlottesville schools are fully accredited.

Two out of Charlottesville’s nine schools — Walker Upper Elementary and Buford Middle — and the school division as a whole did not make Adequate Yearly Progress this year. However, Buford’s Adequate Yearly Progress status is still being reviewed, Charlottesville schools spokeswoman Cass Cannon said Thursday afternoon.