AYP: Adequate Yearly Progress
Every year, usually in August, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announces the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status of schools. AYP is part of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
NCLB requires 100 percent of public school students across the country to meet certain standards for reading and math by 2014. AYP serves as the measuring stick for determining the progress schools make year by year toward this goal.
AYP takes into consideration pass rates in reading and math on the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests our children take every spring. For a school to make AYP, it must meet 29 requirements based on SOL testing. Missing a single requirement may result in a school not making AYP. AYP ratings for schools are based on overall achievement and achievement by student groups. There are six student groups: students with disabilities; economically disadvantaged, Limited English Proficient; African-American; Hispanic and white.
For AYP, the performance of students in groups is just as important as the overall achievement of all students. For example, one of the 29 AYP requirements is for the economically disadvantaged student group in math. If a school were to meet 28 requirements and miss the requirement for this student group alone, it would not make AYP. Sometimes, a school can miss AYP by just a few children within one student group.
The Albemarle County Public Schools mission states the core purpose of our schools is "to establish a community of learners and learning, through rigor, relevance and relationships, one student at a time." AYP is one tool our School Division has available to help it measure how effectively we are reaching every child.
If you would like to learn more about AYP, visit the Virginia Department of Education website at www.doe.virginia.gov.
Stone-Robinson has achieved AYP for 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008.
