news-record.com

Too many tests produce too many test scores for public schools these days. But some matter.

Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a federal designation created by the No Child Left Behind legislation. It sets targets not just for schools but for subgroups of students in each school. All have to show improvements each year based on test scores.

Guilford County Schools and other area systems did well this year, according to preliminary results announced Tuesday. More than twice as many Guilford County schools as last year made the AYP grade, including some schools that have struggled for a long time. Middle school performances, traditionally the weakest link in the K-12 chain, turned up dramatically.

The main examples: Eastern Middle School met only 21 of 33 targets last year but all 33 this year; Ferndale Middle improved from 24 of 33 to 33 of 33.

No Child Left Behind and the AYP mandates have been widely criticized as unreasonable and meaningless. They can't be taken as definitive of success or failure, especially because tests and the scores required to pass them seem to change periodically. But they represent the rules school systems must follow, and making significant AYP progress usually results from programs and initiatives meant to raise student performance. During the past year, principals and teachers in many schools made extra efforts to strengthen children's grasp of the basics, particularly reading. The scores indicate they generally did a better job of accomplishing that.

Some schools, unfortunately, still fell short. In some, only one or two subgroups didn't post good enough scores. One positive innovation of No Child Left Behind was that it doesn't allow overall averages to hide a lack of achievement by some categories of students, even those with special needs. Schools know exactly where they have to focus more attention.

The job will get harder with school resources stretching thinner, but the good news is that students who make the grade one year are more likely to keep making adequate progress.