Student performance is rising and the achievement gap is closing in Georgia with the implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The official statewide results of the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) and the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) show improvements across the board in the 41 assessments that have been aligned to the GPS for two or more years.

These results provide proof that our teachers are doing an excellent job in implementing our new curriculum. “They should be commended for their hard work,” says Superintendent Sam Herndon. Mr. Herndon believes this data shows that both Appling County and Georgia students will rise to the increased expectations set by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).

Appling County Primary School, Appling County Elementary School, Altamaha Elementary School, Fourth District Elementary School, and Appling County Middle School all met Annual Yearly Progress for 2008. Appling County High School did not meet AYP due to the second indicator of Graduation Rate. The state requires equal or greater than 70% graduation rate. Appling County High School fell slightly under this goal with a graduation rate of 67.4% for 2008. Graduation coaches are currently working on plans to improve the percentage of graduates in Appling County.

AYP is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). It is an annual measure of student participation and achievement of statewide assessments and other academic indicators. Accountability is key to NCLB - the State of Georgia, each local school district, and each individual school is held accountable for the academic success of students. The federal law requires that each State set high academic standards and implement an extensive student testing program which is aligned with standards and which measures students’ achievement based on the standards. AYP requires schools to meet standards in three areas: Test Participation (for both Mathematics and Reading/English Language Arts), Academic Performance (for both Mathematics and Reading/English Language Arts), and a Second Indicator, and it comprises one component of Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS).

To make AYP, each school and district must meet the following criteria:

* 95% Participation: Each school, as a whole, and all student groups with at least 40 members must have a participation rate of 95% or above on selected state assessments in Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics.

* Annual Measurable Objectives: Each school, as a whole, and each student group meeting the minimum group size must meet or exceed the State’s Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) regarding the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on State assessments in Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics. For AMO, the minimum group size is 40 or 10% of the students enrolled in AYP grades, whichever is greater (with a 75 student cap).

* Second Indicator: Each school must meet the standard or show progress on a Second Indicator. For Second Indicator, the minimum group size is 40 or 10% of the students enrolled in AYP grades, whichever is greater (with a 75 student cap).

In defining AYP, each state sets the minimum levels of improvement, based on student performance on state standardized tests, that school districts and schools must achieve within time frames specified in law in order to meet the 100% proficiency goal. These levels of improvement are known as Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) to ensure that all student groups, schools, school districts, and the State as a whole reach this goal by 2013-2014.

Following the release of AYP scores, Superintendent Herndon stated: “I am extremely pleased with the significant progress our schools are showing. All staff, both system and schools, analyze the data for instructional improvements to meet student needs. As AYP measures continue to increase, central office and school personnel work together to increase the rigor of the curriculum which will result in our students achieving higher and being better prepared to face college and/or the job market.”