Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

August 19, 2005

 

MAP and Reading Scores Improve Statewide, but More

Schools Do Not Make “Adequate Yearly Progress”

The percentage of Missouri students scoring at the proficient and advanced levels on the state “MAP” exams improved slightly this year in every subject and grade level, state education officials reported today.

In addition, students in grades 3 and 7 posted healthy gains in reading proficiency, as measured by the MAP communication arts test.  The percentage of third-graders classified as “satisfactory and above” improved almost three percentage points, rising to 77.1% statewide.  The percentage of seventh-graders rated as satisfactory and above also improved by three percentage points to 65.1%.

These gains, however, were not enough to help many Missouri schools meet the escalating “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) targets that are required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.  (See charts.)  As a result, the number of schools that did not achieve the state’s AYP goals for the first time increased sharply this year.

“Missouri schools are making progress in the core academic areas, but the rate of improvement is not rapid enough to meet the ever-increasing standards that are required under the federal accountability system,” said Commissioner of Education D. Kent King. 

“As the AYP targets get higher and higher in coming years, it is virtually certain that more schools will be labeled as ‘needing improvement.’  It is a frustrating situation for educators who are working very hard to leave no children behind,” he said.  

Schools that do not meet AYP targets for two consecutive years are identified as “needing improvement,” and they may be required to offer students the chance to transfer to a higher-performing school.  Schools that do not achieve AYP targets in successive years face escalating sanctions that are dictated by federal law. 

This year, about 65% of all schools in the state (1,317) met the AYP targets in math and communication arts, compared to 77% (1,569) last year. 

All public schools (including charter schools) are evaluated to determine if they have achieved adequate yearly progress in communication arts and math.  However, only those schools that receive federal funds to serve disadvantaged children (“Title I” schools) are subject to the sanctions that are required under federal law.

Based on the state’s preliminary analysis, 127 Title I schools have been tentatively identified as “needing improvement” this year – just 8 more than in 2004.  

Seven schools did not make AYP for the fourth year in a row and, as a result, will be required to develop plans for “restructuring.”   Under federal law, restructuring means replacing school personnel, hiring outside managers for a school, or instituting other significant reforms. 

 

Missouri Adequate Yearly Progress for 2005
Schools	Number of Schools	Met	% Met	Not Met	% Not Met
All Schools	2,036	1,317	64.7	719	35.3
Title I Schools	1,105	872	78.9	233	21.1

Title I Schools in School Improvement: 127

 

Missouri Adequate Yearly Progress for 2004
Schools	Number of Schools	Met	% Met	Not Met	% Not Met
All Schools	2,033	1,569	77.2	464	22.8
Title I Schools	1,104	950	86.1	154	13.9

Title I Schools in School Improvement: 119                                

 

Measuring Progress by Subgroups

AYP is a specific annual goal, established by the state, for improving students’ academic achievement in the areas of math and communication arts.  To meet AYP in 2005, 26.6% of students in a school had to score at the proficient or advanced levels on the MAP communication arts exam.  In math, 17.5% of the students had to score at the proficient or advanced levels for a school to meet the AYP target.

The AYP targets must be achieved by all categories of students (white, black, students with disabilities, etc.), not just the student body as a whole.   If a single subgroup does not achieve the AYP target, then the entire school does not meet AYP.

At the state level, three groups achieved AYP this year in math and communication arts:  the group of “all students,” Asian/Pacific Islanders and white students.  Seven other subgroups – black, Hispanic, American Indian, students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch, student with disabilities, limited English proficient students, and those classified as “other/no response” – did not achieve AYP this year.  

All of the AYP statistics are preliminary.  Local schools have an opportunity to submit corrections to demographic data about students, and this can lead to changes in the results for some subgroups.  State officials expect to make final AYP determinations about Nov. 1.