Athens' Public Elementary Schools make AYP

All of Clarke County’s 14 elementary schools, and two middle schools, made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2011, but neither high school did, according to data released this morning by the Georgia Department of Education.

Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals did increase their graduation rates to 74.1 percent and 71.7 percent, respectively.

“We have reached new levels of performance, meeting or exceeding state standards in math. This affirms our district’s focus on high expectations and a rigorous curriculum,” said Superintendent Philip D. Lanoue. More than 78% of students reached state math standards on the graduation test, an increase of 17 percentage points from last year.

Despite the good news, four schools did not meet academic performance standards so the school system as a whole did not meet AYP.

Georgia participates in the federal Title 1 program which gives $11 billion across the country to help educate poor children. All schools in Athens are Title 1 schools. Those who participate in Title 1 must meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act.

These goals say that, by 2014, all students will be proficient in mathematics and reading/English language arts, as determined by state assessments.

The state determines a group of assessment goals for each school district and school, and also for the state as a whole, in test participation, academic achievement and a “second indicator.”

The academic achievement is based on the scores of one “high stakes” test, the CRCT in elementary and middle schools and the Georgia High School Graduation Test for high school students.

The second indicator for Clarke’s elementary and middle schools is a targeted attendance rate—which was met--and  for high schools, it’s a targeted graduation rate.

Both Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals met their targeted rates, increasing the number of graduates. Clarke Central saw 74.1 percent of students graduate and Cedar Shoals had 71.7 percent of its students graduate.

And Coile and Hilsman both made AYP, while Burney Harris Lyons and Clarke Middle did not.