Press release [July 25, 2008]

More Than Two-Thirds of Schools Make AYP
State's Graduation Rate Rises Again
Media Contact: GaDOE Communications office, (404) 463-1487,dtofig@gadoe.org
AYP Reports: http://www.gadoe.org/ayp2008.aspx
July 25, 2008 -- More than two-thirds of Georgia's public schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2008, even as the bar was raised across the board.
"Not only did all the academic measures of Adequate Yearly Progress go up this year, but we continued to raise the rigor of the work our students are doing, especially in mathematics," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "But even with the higher bar and the increased rigor, a majority of our schools met the mark."
Superintendent Cox released the state's annual Adequate Yearly Progress report Friday morning. She also announced that the state's preliminary graduation rate for 2008 is 74.4 percent - up more than two points from last year.
"This two point increase represents 6,000 more students that graduated on time with a full diploma in 2008," Superintendent Cox said. "This is the result of hard work by a lot of students and strong collaboration among principals, teachers, counselors, graduation coaches and parents."
The final graduation rate will be calculated when summer graduates are added. This fall, the AYP report will be updated, as well, to account for summer graduates and summer retest results for students in grades 3, 5 and 8.
Higher Bar, More Rigor
In 2008, it was harder for all schools to make AYP for two main reasons.
First, the percentage of students that had to pass state tests in math, reading and English went up for all grade levels (see chart below). Secondly, students were doing more rigorous work and taking more rigorous tests in 2008, especially in mathematics.
Superintendent Cox emphasized that in 2007-2008 the state's more rigorous curriculum and more rigorous tests in mathematics were implemented in all grades considered for AYP in elementary schools.
"It was a lot tougher for elementary schools this year," she said. "Still, more than 3 out of every 4 elementary schools made AYP, the best performance of all grade levels" However, Superintendent Cox said it was important to embrace more rigorous standards in mathematics and she is confident that elementary schools are prepared.
"It's very important for our elementary school students to get a strong foundation in math," Superintendent Cox said. "I have a tremendous amount of faith in our elementary school principals and teachers. I know they will rise to the challenge in math, just like they have in reading, and we will see much better AYP numbers next year."
About 69 percent of all schools made AYP, including 76 percent of elementary schools. About 65 percent of middle schools and 48 percent of high schools made AYP in 2008.
Needs Improvement Schools
There are 340 schools in Georgia that are in Needs Improvement status, meaning these schools have missed AYP for two or more consecutive years. Needs Improvement (NI) schools must offer options to parents - such as tutoring or school choice - and may need to take specific action to improve student performance. The consequence a school faces depends on how long it has been in Needs Improvement.
In 2008, 37 schools made AYP for the second consecutive year and got out of Needs Improvement status -including six that had been in NI status for five or more years (see chart below). "Even with the increased rigor and the higher bar, these 37 schools were able to get over the hurdles and shake the Needs Improvement label," Superintendent Cox said. "Congratulations to the staff, parents and students of these schools."
Additionally, nine of the state's 19 "contract-monitored" schools made AYP this year (see chart below). These schools had been in Needs Improvement for 7 or more years. "These schools entered a contract with the state and promised to get the job done -- and that's just what they did," Superintendent Cox said. "This is a great example of how the state, a district and a school can work together to improve student achievement."
Graduation Rate
The state's preliminary graduation rate is 74.4 percent -- the highest it has ever been. This rate is expected to increase once summer graduates are included.
"The graduation rate not only went up overall, but increased among every subgroup," the Superintendent said. "There is still work to be done, but thanks to all the effort and teamwork, we are continuing to move the needle."
Under the state's NCLB plan, the graduation rate represents the percentage of students who received a full diploma in four years and a summer. This figure does not include special education diplomas or certificates of attendance (see chart below).
Charts and Lists
Graduation Rate Percent of Students that must pass in order to make AYP (AMO) Schools that came out of Needs Improvement status Contract-monitored Schools that made AYP for the first year(NI-7 and above last year) Schools that have made AYP for 10 consecutive years Systems that had 100% of their schools make AYP
2007 Georgia Department of Education, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive S.E., Atlanta, GA 30334