River Dell H.S. Falls Short on 'No Child Left Behind' Ranking

State officials released No Child Left Behind data for the 2009-10 school year Wednesday, which shows that most of the local area schools made adequate yearly progress. But  came up two points short and did not qualify as making their adequate yearly progress.

River Dell met 38 out of 40 indicators, in its first year of results. The state data released on Wednesday showed that the Regional High School missed the final two indicators for students with disabilities in language arts literacy and mathematics.

Under the federal law, standardized test scores are expected to improve, or show "adequate yearly progress," in the number of students who achieve proficiency each year. Student achievement is based on grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The expectation is for 100 percent of students to be proficient by 2014 under the law.

The three elementary schools, ,  and  each met all 40 indicators in their adequate yearly progress. For each of the elementary school this was the first year that data was compiled.

According to a press release from the state Department of Education, during the 2009/2010 school year, approximately 209 additional schools did not meet AYP standards for two years in a row, bringing the total number of Schools in Need of Improvement to 657. The report also shows 18 more school districts are now in Districts in Need of Improvement status, bringing the total number to 57 of the state's 627 districts.

"Like a 'check engine' light in a car, the AYP data indicates that something in a school district may not be working properly," Acting Commissioner Hendricks stated in the release. "It could mean that only one small group of students in a school did not meet standards. Or it could be the first evidence of a systemic problem requiring sweeping change. Though these results are part of a broader picture, the Department takes this indicator very seriously and will work with the local leadership in these districts to examine the data, flag any underlying issues, and take action wherever it is appropriate to ensure our children are being properly served."

The Department of Education will be meeting with school districts to review the Adequate Yearly Progress data.