School district has company in not meeting AYP standards

For the past six years, the Beaufort County School District has failed to meet standards for academic advancement mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Beaufort County is not alone. None of the state's 85 school districts met Adequate Yearly Progress goals this year or last, according to the 2008 AYP ratings that the South Carolina Department of Education released Wednesday. The department released data for elementary and middle schools two weeks ago. However, high school data was delayed because of computational errors.

But there was a sign of progress in local schools. The Beaufort County School District is improving, ytough more slowly than federal law mandates.

The district is closing the gap between the percentage of AYP objectives it has met and the average of those met by the rest of the state’s schools.

In 2006, Beaufort County met 64 percent of its AYP objectives. That number rose to 67 percent in 2007.

This year, Beaufort County has met 70 percent of its AYP objectives, 3 percentage points lower than the state’s 2008 average. To meet the qualifications of the No Child Left Behind Law, a district must meet 100 percent of its objectives.

"Our first goal is to meet state averages on all academic indicators, but that it only a temporary benchmark," Superintendent Valerie Truesdale said in a news release. "We are seeking regional, national and international averages."

AYP ratings are based on several criteria.

High school AYP ratings are based on graduation rates and scores on the High School Assessment Program, an exit examination that South Carolina students must pass to graduate. Elementary school ratings are based on Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test scores and attendance.

To achieve AYP, schools are required to break out test scores based on subgroups, and each subgroup must meet federal standards. The number of subgroups depends upon the district's demographics and are based upon race, disability, English proficiency and socioeconomic status.

At all four of the district's high schools, black students and students from low-income backgrounds did not meet AYP in English. At Battery Creek and Bluffton high schools, black students and those from low-income backgrounds did not meet AYP in math.

Students with limited English proficiency at Bluffton High School did not meet AYP in English or math. Hispanic students at Hilton Head Island High School did not meet AYP in English.

At Battery Creek and Bluffton high schools, the graduation rate was not high enough to meet federal standards.

"We certainly are not satisfied with any of those scores," said Randy Wall, academic improvement officer for the Beaufort cluster of schools and district spokesman. "We're looking for improvement in math and English. We’ll continue to keep working on both skills."

Because it has missed AYP for more than fours years, the Beaufort County School District is required to implement corrective action in its schools.

This year, the district added 20 extra school days for students who tested below basic levels on PACT for more than one year. At the high schools, students in danger of failing the HSAP will attend extra classes. The first group of extended learning days is scheduled for the last week of October.

To address the graduation rate, the district will train teams of teachers, guidance counselors and administrators that will use a formal program called Advancement Via Individual Determination in each high school to increase graduation rates.

AVID targets B, C and D students and aims to prepare them for college-level work through teaching organizational and critical thinking skills.

"Beaufort County high schools have hovered around a 70 percent graduation rate for years, which is not acceptable ... We cannot settle for 70 percent or even the state average of 73 percent," Truesdale said.

No Child Left Behind allows states to set their own standards for academic proficiency.

Independent studies have found that South Carolina's standards are among the strictest in the nation, according to Jim Foster, spokesman for the state Department of Education.

PACT will be replaced next year with a new end-of-the-year accountability test, which will be called the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards.

PASS aims to align South Carolina's student performance targets with other states.