Candidate Greg Rasmussen

69 Wichita schools meet AYP targets

Achievement continues to increase, graduation rate rises

As AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) targets continue to increase, 46 Wichita Public Schools have met targets in both reading and math based on performance on the 2009 state assessments taken last spring. Approximately 22,000 students took 63,000 assessments last spring in reading, math, science and writing. This compares to 60 schools which met both AYP targets in 2008. In addition, 23 schools met the AYP target in either reading or math. AYP reports also confirm that the district’s graduation rate continues to increase and all comprehensive high schools in the Wichita district exceeded the state’s graduation standard of 75 percent or above. Highlights were presented today by the Kansas Department of Education, which released its list of schools that met AYP in reading and math on the 2009 state assessments. Click here to see the schools that met AYP.

“Wichita students continue to make progress as targets increase each year, and our careful examination of this and other data shows that we are absolutely moving in the right direction” said Wichita Superintendent John Allison. “With AYP you have to remember that there is far more of a story than simply being able to look at a list and see ‘yes’ or ‘no’ by a school’s AYP designation.”

In 2009, 38 elementary, 6 middle and 2 high schools met AYP targets in both reading and math. In addition, 12 elementary, 5 middle and 6 high schools met AYP targets in either reading or math. Click here to see the increasing AYP targets.

“The positive aspect of federal NCLB expectations is that districts must look at the achievement of each and every student, not simply students as a group,” said Superintendent Allison. “The challenge for districts with a large number of sub-populations, such as Wichita, is that if one student group misses an AYP target an entire school is labeled as not being successful. As a district, we have 42 measures on which we must be successful in order to meet AYP. Many of our schools with diverse populations could have 20 or more measures, all of which must meet AYP targets. This is the reality we face as we head toward 2014, when NCLB expects our students, and every student in the nation, to achieve 100 percent proficiency in both reading and math.”

In 2009, reading targets for elementary and middle schools increased by 4.1 percentage points and high schools increased 4.7 percentage points. Math targets for elementary and middle schools increased by 4.4 percentage points, and 5.9 percentage points for high schools. In 5 years, by 2014, math targets, for example, will increase for elementary schools from the 2009 expectation of 77.8 percent proficiency to the 2014 expectation of 100 percent proficiency. This standard will be applied to “all students” as a group, as well as every sub-population within a school that meets AYP criteria (a sub-group must have a minimum of 30 students).

According to Allison, “since 2000, Wichita students have increased their reading proficiency by 20 percent, and math proficiency by 25 percent. Our community should be proud of this success. We now must work smarter, use all the data resources we have as well as the expertise of staff and the commitment of parents, to continue moving students forward. As a district we will clearly work to define and align our K-12 curriculum, focus on research-based best practices that are proven to increase student achievement, and take a hard look at our assessment program to make sure we most effectively use all the data resources we have to shape decisions and influence instructional practices.”

The Kansas State Department of Education will release complete 2009 state assessment data in October, along with the announcement of State Standard of Excellence recipients.