Wayzata School District Makes AYP, One School Misses Out

Overall, the Wayzata School District made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) this year, but one school did not meet the No Child Left Behind standards.

id not meet AYP as well as alternative school programs at Wayzata East and Central middle schools.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Plymouth Creek as a Blue Ribbon school for its overall academic excellence and success in closing achievement gaps.

Unlike last year, Wayzata West Middle School did make AYP this time.

Overall the Wayzata School District has made AYP in 2009, 2007, 2006 and 2005. In 2008, , and its alternative program as well as 's alternative program didn't meet AYP standards.

For AYP students in grades three through eight are tested in reading and math each year Under No Child Left Behind. Students also are tested at least once in their sophomore through senior years.

Schools must meet targets as a whole and in subgroups, such as free/reduced lunch, limited English proficiency and special education. Subgroups also include ethnic designations, such as Asian, Hispanic, black and white.

Out of 2,255 schools (public and charter) in the state, . About 45 percent made AYP and for the rest there was insufficient data to make a determination.

Of the 1,056 schools that did not make AYP, 38 percent were elementary schools and about 22 percent were high schools.

Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota commissioner of education, wrote in a letter to parents that "how students are growing and learning" is more important than the individual test scores.

"In addition to using one test score as the primary determination of a school’s success or failure, it (No Child Left Behind and adequate yearly progress) also compares the performance of one group of students to the performance of a totally different group of students the following year," Cassellius wrote. "This is not a fair, valid or accurate way of measuring how schools are really doing."

In August, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton applied for , after President Barack Obama announced possible relief from the law.

"In the coming months, the Minnesota Department of Education will work with the U.S. Department of Education to provide relief from this law that will allow us to develop better accountability measures for Minnesota's schools," Cassellius wrote. "... We are hopeful Minnesota will soon be granted the regulatory flexibility to provide our state’s children, parents and stakeholders with a school accountability system they deserve."