September 3, 2009

LANSING - Eighty-six percent of Michigan public schools and 99 percent of K-12 school districts in Michigan made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) this past school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The state's EducationYES! Report Cards were released today for Michigan elementary, middle, and high schools, along with the annual report on each school's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), as required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

"The future success of our state is linked directly to the success of our students," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "Today's results show progress, but we know we have a lot more work to do to prepare all of our students for college and the workplace."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan said that this year's report reflects increases on many levels for schools, and credits among the key factors the student achievement gains in mathematics and writing assessment scores, especially among students who are economically disadvantaged.

"It is encouraging to see the progress many Michigan schools and districts are making," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. "It is clear that intensive state and local support provided to our most at-risk schools is showing progress."

A statewide system of support program partners the Michigan Department of Education with intermediate school districts to provide school-level diagnoses of academic challenges with research-based training, coaching, and mentoring to implement strategies for success.

2009 Report Card Result Summary:

• The percentage of schools making AYP rose six percentage points from 80 percent (3,003 schools) in 2008 to 86 percent (3,143) in 2009.
  
• The percent of elementary, middle and high schools making AYP increased in 2009 to 93.3 percent of elementary; 95.3 percent of middle; and 70.9 percent of high schools. High schools showed the largest gain of 24.0 percent.
  
• Thirty-five schools that made AYP were removed from the sanction list as a result of making AYP for two consecutive years.
  
• The percent of Intermediate School Districts (ISD), local schools districts, and Public School Academy districts (PSAs with one or more buildings) that made AYP increased, with ISDs showing the largest increase of nearly 29 percent.
  
• The percent of buildings not making AYP due to student subgroup participation requirements or proficiency targets in math and English Language Arts substantially decreased with the largest reduction of nearly 50 percent in the Students with Disabilities subgroup.
  
• Title I schools or buildings with a high percentage of students from low-income families, designated as Title I by the district, declined for the third consecutive year from 79 buildings in 2007 to 61 buildings in 2009 -- nearly 30 percent decrease as the result of a statewide system of intensive supports and interventions.
  
• The number of schools receiving an A grade under Michigan's current accreditation system EducationYES! increased from 1,526 to 1,680 or 5.2 percent.

This year, MDE began transitioning from the use of the term "phases" to describe school AYP status to the three "stages" outlined in the Federal Title I, Part A law commonly used by other states. These stages will designate schools as "Identified for School Improvement," "Identified for Corrective Action," and "Identified for Restructuring." Identified schools are categorized into one of these groups depending upon the number of years the school has not made AYP.

To make AYP, a school must test 95 percent of its students in total and in each required student subgroup defined by the federal law. The school must attain the target achievement goal in English language arts and mathematics, or reduce the percentage of students in the non-proficient category of achievement by 10 percent ("safe harbor"). In addition, the school must meet or exceed the other academic indicators set by the state: graduation rate for high schools and attendance rate for elementary and middle schools. These achievement goals must be reached for each subgroup that has at least 30 students in the group.

Schools that don't make AYP for two or more consecutive years are placed on the federally-required consequences list. The consequences get progressively severe with each additional year a school does not make AYP, ranging from having to provide school choice and transportation to another school, to tutorial services for the students, to eventual school restructuring. For a complete listing of AYP consequences and supports, visit: www.michigan.gov/ayp.

Under NCLB, all states are required to establish English language arts and mathematic proficiency targets to reach 100 percent by the 2013-14 school year. During the 2007-08 school year, the percent of students needing to be proficient on the MEAP and Michigan Merit Exam (MME) was raised by an average of 10 percent, in order to be on trajectory to the NCLB target of 100 percent proficiency by the 2013-14 school year. Targets will raise a similar amount every year beginning in the 2010-11 school year. While achievement rates on the MEAP and MME trended upward overall across the state, some schools did not make the gains necessary to meet the new requirement.

The EducationYES! School Report Cards are a compilation of student scores on the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) and Michigan Merit Exam (MME) tests; the MI-Access alternate assessments for students with disabilities; AYP designation; and in various, self-reported, school performance indicators - such as family involvement in the schools, curriculum, student attendance, and professional development for its teachers.