Upstate Schools Fall Behind Federal Standards

Upstate schools fall short in meeting federal government's No Child Left Behind Law.

In Greenville County, 15 school made Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, down from 36 in 2010.

In Pickens County, 10 schools met national standards, down five schools from last year.

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It was a trend seen throughout the state, which had shown considerable improvement when scores were released last week for South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards.

According to numbers released Friday by the state Department of Education, only 27 percent of the state’s elementary and middle schools met all of their federal goals in 2011, down from 61 percent last year.

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But what is AYP?

This year South Carolina elementary and middle school students had to be proficient on math and English Language Arts tests in order to meet federal guidelines. Students, including those who come from low-income families, speak limited English or have learning disabilities are, are required to score proficient on these tests by 2014.

Saluda County was the only district in the state to make AYP.

The remaining 72 districts fell short, missing 1-5 goals, the release said. Last year, 70 districts in the state fell short.

State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais described the federal No Child Left Behind school accountability system as “broken.”

“For the federal government to label a school as ‘failing’ when it meets or exceeds every goal except one defies common sense,” he said.  “It’s time for Washington to end top-down directives and acknowledge its limited role in setting education policy.”

Zais said there is a better way to set and meet high standards for schools and that the state Department of Education is reviewing federal mandates and may submit waiver requests asking for flexibility.

“Washington should set clear expectations and measures of accountability, then get out of the way,” he said.  “There should not be dual systems of accountability.  Individually, a state and the U.S. Department of Education should agree to one system.  Accountability and autonomy are two sides of the same coin. 

"If the federal government wants to hold states accountable for the results, it should allow states maximum flexibility to affect the outcomes.”

Zais said federal ratings also declined this year because the percentages of South Carolina elementary and middle school students who had to be proficient jumped from about 58 percent to nearly 80 percent.

South Carolina schools have as few as one objective to meet and as many as 33 federal goals.

In Greenville County, most schools had upwards of 17 federal goals, and falling short on even one meant they did not meet AYP.

South Carolina fell short again in reaching its 37 goals, by scoring 35 for the second year in a row.

In order to meet AYP this year, elementary and middle schools must have had at least 79.4 percent of their students proficient in English Language Arts, up from 58.8 percent last year.

In math, at least 79 percent had to be proficient, up from 57.8 percent last year.

State officials said in 2011, 243 of 908 elementary and middle schools met AYP, down from 556 of 905 schools last year.
 
Of the 665 elementary and middle schools that did not meet AYP, 504 fell just short by missing 1-5 goals, officials reported. And at least 100 of these schools missed the rating by missing one goal.

In order to make AYP, federal law said that high schools must have had 71.3 percent of their students proficient in English Language Arts and 70 percent proficient in math.

Only 13 of 179 high school in the state met those standards, school officials said. In comparison to last year, the number remains unchanged.

Of the remaining 166 schools, school officials said 61 missed the mark by missing 1-5 goals. That number is unchanged from the previous school year.

But what does it mean?

For "Title I schools" – those that receive federal Title I funds because they have a significant number of students from economically disadvantaged families – not meeting AYP carries considerable consequences, according to the release.

The state department said that Title I schools who fail to meet standards on the same subject area for two years are designated as "needs improvement," and are then required to offer parents and opportunity to transfer the child to a school that is meeting its goals. And if the school fails the next year, they are required to offer tutoring, in addition to school choice option.

School officials said that schools that continue to fall behind also could face restructuring, conversion to a charter school or be taken over by the state.