Four Lacey Schools Don't Make the Grade on State Assessment

Several Lacey schools are on the state’s list of schools that need improvement based on the Department of Education’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports.

Schools holding the status of “need improvement” include , the the and

In 2010, no Lacey schools made AYP. In 2011, and the did.

AYP is a mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and is based on statewide assessments and benchmarks implemented by the Department of Education. The benchmarks mark the percentage of students in a grade expected to test proficient or advanced proficient. For grades three through five the benchmark is 59 percent while the benchmark for grades six through eight is 72 percent.

If a group does not make AYP but has improved 10 percent, they make Safe Harbor, which also qualifies the grade as sufficient under AYP.

In 2010, the total and general populations, excluding special education students, in all grades that tested made AYP in language arts and math, Assistant Superintendent Vanessa Clark reported last year.

“That’s big,” former Superintendent Richard Starodub previously said.

But that’s not the case this year. The total populations, excluding special education students, at Lanoka Harbor School, Cedar Creek and the made AYP in language arts and math.

At least one parent is happy with Cedar Creek's progress.

“They’re doing something right,” said resident and Cedar Creek Parent Teacher Association member Christine James, since the district showed improvement from year to year.

This is James’ daughter’s first year in the public school district after she was taken out of a private school.

“I’ve been happy with her progress,” she said. “It’s my first experience with the public school district. I’m very pleased.”

The Lacey Middle School did not make AYP in any category.

The Department of Education has a continuum chart that measures district improvement. The chart is as follows:

• Early Warning- a school did not make AYP for one year; no intervention.
• LEA Improvement (DINI 1)- Did not make AYP for two years; intervention includes parent notification and the development of a district improvement plan.
• LEA Improvement (DINI 2)- Did not make AYP for three years; intervention includes parent notification, conduction of needs assessment, evaluate and revise district improvement plan.
• District Corrective Action (DINI 3)- Did not make AYP for four or more years; intervention includes parent notification, conduction of needs assessment, evaluate and revise district improvement plan, state notification to the district which can result in the following actions: deter funding, implement new curriculum, replace LEA personnel, appoint a highly skilled professional or mandatory technical assistance.

The Department of Education also has a “hold” status, spokesman Richard Vespucci said. It takes two consecutive years of making AYP to be removed from the NCLB sanction status. It also takes two consecutive years of under-performance to be placed in a sanction status.

While Cedar Creek, Forked River and Mill Pond have been on the “needs improvement” list for two years, the middle school is on year three. If it misses another year of AYP, the district and state will need to take corrective action.

The state’s school report card as well as the NCLB report card will be released later this year.

Superintendent Sandra Brower declined to comment, saying she was unavailable and Board of Education President Jack Martenak did not return calls for comment.

The 2011 AYP report is attached to this article as a PDF.

Below is a table breaking down AYP for each Lacey school over the last four years.