Archived Information

Assessment/Accountability
School and District Accountability

For immediate release
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Contact: Heidi B. Perlman 781-338-3106

State Makes AYP in the Aggregate, 10 Districts Identified for Improvement

MALDEN - Massachusetts made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the aggregate for the third year in a row in 2005, an accomplishment that shows the state is on track to meet the federal goal of moving all students to Proficient by 2014.

The 2005 Cycle IV Reports released Tuesday show that in the aggregate, 88 percent of districts made AYP in English, 85 percent made AYP in math and 84 percent made AYP in both subjects. Among schools, 75 percent made AYP in English, 72 percent made AYP in math, and 63 percent made AYP in both subjects.

Officials also noted that 10 of the 242 school districts are now on the state's list of districts identified for improvement in the aggregate for not making AYP in the aggregate for two or more years in a row, up from six last year. In addition, more than half of the state's districts were identified for improvement this year because of subgroup performance.

"While we've made great strides, our overall performance is in jeopardy of being surpassed by the strict federal requirements," said Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. "It is time for us all to redouble our efforts to ensure that all of our children will get the top notch education they deserve. This goal is ambitious, but it is the right goal, and is precisely what No Child Behind was designed to accomplish."

Schools and Districts Identified for Improvement

Schools and districts are identified for improvement when, for two or more years in a row, they do not make AYP toward meeting their performance targets for English and/or math as required under No Child Left Behind. AYP determinations are based on a combination of student attendance, MCAS participation, performance and improvement over time.

• The 10 districts identified for aggregate improvement in either English, math or both subjects are Brockton, Chicopee, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, North Adams, Southbridge, Springfield and Worcester.
• Under the state's accountability system, Holyoke, Winchendon, and Southbridge have been declared Under-performing.

In addition to the 10 districts that were identified for improvement in the aggregate, 192 of the 1,690 schools that received AYP determinations to date have been identified for aggregate performance, up from 180 last year. Of that total, 26 were newly identified this year.

Schools, districts and the state as a whole are also evaluated based on subgroup performance. Student subgroups include students who are Limited English Proficient, students with special needs, students who receive Free/Reduced Price Lunch, African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans and Whites.

As a result of subgroup performance an additional 146 districts and 217 schools are also identified identified in 2005.

Both schools and districts are removed from the list when they "make AYP" for two consecutive years. Because last year was the first year both schools and districts could be identified for subgroup performance, no school or district identified for subgroup performance in 2004 was eligible to exit improvement status this year.

• Fifty-three of the 180 schools previously identified for improvement, corrective action or restructuring for students in the aggregate are continuing in that status in 2006, but made AYP in 2005.
• This year, 12 schools previously identified for aggregate performance were removed from the state's list of schools identified for improvement, corrective action or restructuring because they made AYP for the second consecutive year. Those schools are:
  • Lucy Stone School in Boston
  • Mattahunt School in Boston
  • Michael J. Perkins School in Boston
  • James F. Leonard School in Lawrence
  • Ellis Mendell School in Boston
  • James Otis School in Boston
  • Gen. John J. Stefanik School in Chicopee
  • William Connell School in Fall River
  • McKay Campus of Fitchburg State College
  • S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell
  • Moseley School in Westfield
  • May Street School in Worcester

AYP Reports

Statewide, Massachusetts made AYP in the aggregate for both mathematics and English, but not among all of its subgroups. The state did not make AYP for its low income, students with disabilities, LEP, African American, Hispanic and Native American subgroups.

Among schools with one or more subgroups:

• Special education students made AYP in 46 percent of schools in English, 37 percent of schools in math.
• LEP students made AYP in 34 percent of schools in English, 38 percent of schools in math.
• Hispanic students made AYP in 37 percent of schools in English and 39 percent of schools in math.
• African-American students made AYP in 43 percent of schools in English, 40 percent of schools in math.
• Asian students made AYP in 81 percent of schools in English, 86 percent of schools in math.
• Low-income students made AYP in 44 percent of schools in English, 45 percent of schools in math.
• White students made AYP in 90 percent of schools in English, 87 percent of schools in math.

"This data shows clearly that the time has come to launch a renewed, concerted effort to address the needs of our minority students," Driscoll said. "We must not allow our Black and Hispanic students, or our students with special needs or limited English skills lag behind. We must commit to giving them all the help they need, and to see that they, like all of our students, move into not just passing, but into Proficient and Advanced."

Federal guidelines require students in the aggregate and all student subgroups that meet minimum size rules to make AYP. Schools and districts with 40 or more students in any of the eight subgroup categories receive AYP determinations in addition to aggregate results.

This means that each school and district can get up to 18 different AYP determinations: for both English and math they could be eligible for 1 for each of eight subgroups, and an aggregate determination.

AYP Consequences

According to NCLB regulations, schools that receive federal Title I funds face consequences that grow in severity each year they do not make AYP:

• Schools newly identified for improvement after not making AYP two years in a row are required to offer parents the option of sending their child to another school within the district that has made AYP if space in one is available.
• After three consecutive years of not making AYP, a school must offer school choice and supplemental educational services to the students most in need.
• After four consecutive years of not making AYP, a school moves into "corrective action" and is required to make significant changes that could include staffing, curriculum, or instruction.
• After five consecutive years of not making AYP, districts are required to restructure the school, which could include the school becoming state-run, becoming a charter school, or some other type of governance or management reconfiguration. The first year a school is identified for restructuring the district is required to develop a plan, the second year they are expected to implement their plan.

This is the second year that any schools in Massachusetts have entered the restructuring phase. Of the 29 schools identified for restructuring, the state has already conducted panel reviews in 26. The 18 schools in restructuring for the second year will enter their implementation phase, and will spend this year implementing the restructuring plan they designed over the last school year.

AYP determinations for schools and student subgroups are based on answering "Yes" to three of four questions:

1. Are at least 95 percent of students taking part in MCAS?
2. Has the school met the state's target Composite Performance Index for the current review period?
3. Is the rate of improvement such that all students will reach proficiency by 2014?
4. For K-8 schools: Does the attendance meet the state's 92 percent target or represent a 1 percent improvement over the previous year? For high schools: Did the Class of 2005 meet the state graduation rate target?

Districts and schools that can answer yes to A and D and either B or C for students in the aggregate or student subgroups "make" AYP.

Statewide, district and school results can be found online at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas.aspx.

Statewide, district and school AYP Reports can be found online at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/ayp2005.aspx.