Amherst Schools Miss AYP, Look To Address Individual Needs

Amherst schools are among the many that did not pass the 2012 NH Adequate Yearly Progress this year, and have been designated as “schools in need of improvement.”

Souhegan Cooperative High School passed AYP evaluation in reading, but has entered its first year of needing improvement in math. Amherst Middle School did not make AYP in math, but passed in reading. Clark-Wilkins Elementary School made AYP in math, but missed in their evaluation of reading.

The 2012 AYP Reports are based on the October 2011 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) results for grades three through eight and eleven, together with the 2010-2011 NH Alternate Learning Progressions Assessment (NH-ALPs) results for grades two through seven and ten, and the Class of 2011 graduation rate.

Amherst schools are not alone in missing AYP this year. A total of 70 percent of schools and 65 percent of districts failed to make progress in 2012, as Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry says it is the system that is failed, not our schools.

“Over seventy percent of schools and sixty-five percent of districts failed to make AYP in 2012. This is ample evidence that the accountability system is broken, not that the vast majority of schools in New Hampshire are failing,’ said Commissioner Barry. “In New Hampshire we need an accountability system that rewards the great schools and accurately identifies those schools and districts that need our support.”

The AYP is a component of No Child Left Behind Act, which was established in 2001 to ensure that students of all backgrounds, disability and ethnicity are receiving a proper education. It is calculated through an index system, with schools and districts receiving full credit for each student that scores proficient or better and partial credit for student scores below proficient. 

If one group does not meet the standards, then the entire school will be designated as needing improvement.

SAU #39 superintendent Peter Warburton agrees, saying that this “all or nothing” evaluation does not mean a school is failing overall. In some cases, he said, it may be just one student that has the school falling short of making AYP.

“I have a hard time with the idea of ‘failing schools,’” said Warburton. “Our schools are held in high regard and the kids are very successful.”

He was pleased to see Clark-Wilkins making AYP in math for the first time in three years, which is encouraging as the elementary schools undergo a math curriculum overhaul.

In order to earn a DINI or SINI designation, a district or school must miss AYP for two years in a row, according to the N.H. Department of Education. In order to shed the designation, must make AYP for two years in a row.

Director of Curriculum & Professional Development Nicole Heimarck said that a judgement against a school based on one test is unfair, and many students who took the testing were just one point away from being proficient. 

Heimarck said she has been looking into the data to identify the individuals who struggled with testing and need more attention. She said they are using other evaluations on student growth in their schools to further pinpoint the needs of students.

Warburton said that the school district will continue to work towards bringing the best education possible to each student, no matter what their needs or background.

“We want all of our kids to be successful because our schools are all about personalization for all children,” he said.