AYP Report: Schools in Need of Improvement Explained
WHAT IS A “SCHOOL IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT,” AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
For the school year 2006-07, Rio Rancho had four schools that have been designated by the state as being “in need of improvement.” This occurs any time a school is rated “AYP Not Met” for two consecutive years or more. State law, in accordance with the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, establishes steps that schools found to be in need of improvement must take to inform parents and provide school choice.
School Improvement:
Eagle Ridge Middle School made AYP this year, but schools must make AYP for two consecutive years in order to come out of “school improvement” status. This year, therefore, Eagle Ridge will remain in school improvement. The law identifies specific requirements the school, the school district, and the state must meet:
- The school must schedule a public meeting to provide an explanation of what the identification means and why the school was identified as a school in need of improvement. At the meeting, the school must provide data for other schools in the district and statewide, and an explanation of how parents can become involved in addressing the issues. We will be scheduling these meetings shortly after school begins and will advise parents of the date and time.
- The school must implement its Educational Plan for Student Success (EPSS). Our schools already annually engage in this process.
- Parents with children in schools in need of improvement must be offered the option to transfer their child to another school within the school district that has not been identified for improvement.
Eagle Ridge parents will have the option of transferring their children to Lincoln Middle School. Lincoln did not make AYP this year based on reading scores for students with disabilities, but is not in school improvement status. We strongly encourage parents who are considering transferring their children to meet with Eagle Ridge’s principal and staff to review the data and determine which environment might best meet the needs of their child.
Corrective Action:
Three schools -- Independence HS, Rio Rancho Mid-High, and Rio Rancho High School -- are in their fourth year of not making AYP. At this stage, the state designates schools as being in “Corrective Action.” State oversight of schools increases and there are specific requirements the school, the school district, and the state must meet:
- The school must schedule a public meeting to provide an explanation of what the identification means and why the school was identified as a school in need of improvement. At the meeting, the school must provide data for other schools in the district and statewide, and an explanation of how parents can become involved in addressing the issues. We will be scheduling these meetings shortly after school begins and will advise parents of the date and time.
- The school must implement its Educational Plan for Student Success (EPSS). Our schools already annually engage in this process.
- Parents with children in schools in need of improvement must be offered the option to transfer their child to another school within the school district that has not been identified for improvement.
The following options are available to parents/students at Rio Rancho’s Corrective Action schools:
Because Rio Rancho High School is the only comprehensive high school serving grades 10-12 in the Rio Rancho district and Rio Rancho Mid-High is the only comprehensive school serving 8th and 9th graders, the transfer option is not available to our students. Independence HS and Rio Rancho Cyber Academy also did not make AYP, but may provide an alternative for some students. Parents interested in having their child attend another secondary school in the Rio Rancho district should contact the school staff to discuss the data and determine which educational environment would be best for their child.
Schools in “Corrective Action” status must also take one or more of the following measures:
- Provide for all relevant staff appropriate, scientifically research-based professional development that is likely to improve academic achievement of low-performing students.
- Institute a new curriculum grounded in scientifically based research and provide appropriate professional development to support its implementation.
- Extend the length of the school year or school day.
- Replace staff member who do not support the AYP process.
- Significantly decrease management authority at the school.
- Restructure the internal organization of the school; or
- Appoint one or more outside experts to advise the school; or
- Revise and strengthen the improvement plan the school created while in school improvement status; and/or
- Address the specific issues underlying the school’s continued inability to make AYP.
Several of these steps are already in place at Rio Rancho HS, Rio Rancho Mid-High, and Independence HS. Independence. As noted above, the district is also exhaustively reviewing its practices in educating students with disabilities to see what is working and what isn’t.
Important Links:
- 2007 AYP Report
- 2006 AYP Report
- View individual school performance reports- 2007 (from the PED Dept. site)
- View individual school performance reports- 2006 (from the PED Dept. site)