Slightly more than half (52 percent) of Indiana schools met the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement under the No Child Left Behind Act this year - an increase from 49 percent a year ago. Schools made the largest gains statewide in the special education and minority student populations.

To make AYP, all student demographic groups within a school must pass state tests or show significant improvement toward passing. If any one area does not improve, the entire school is labeled as failing to meet AYP. Of the schools that did not meet AYP this year, 33 percent missed in only one category and 72 percent missed in three or fewer categories.

Of the six schools in Carroll County, four made AYP and two did not - Delphi Community Middle School and Hillcrest Elementary School.

Middle school principal Robert DeLaRosa said the Hispanic subgroup failed to meet AYP in English and Language Arts for the second year in a row. He said more attention would be aimed at improvements in that area.

The AYP summary report issued by the DOE also indicated that Special Education students failed to meet requirements in math.

Hillcrest principal Bill Shidler said the Hispanic subgroup did not meet AYP requirements at his school either. He explained the school has more ways to fail due to diversity in the Delphi community, but progress is being made to rectify the deficiency.

"I'm not a fan of targeting groups, but it does tell us areas where we need to focus," Shidler said.

"I've seen firsthand how schools are using data to drive new and innovative approaches in the classroom that produce results," Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said.

The latest AYP results show schools making inroads in a number of areas. Statewide, schools' AYP performance improved or remained constant across the board in English/ language arts and mathematics except for a slight decrease for African American students in math.

Schools that did not make AYP most frequently fell short in the special education, minority and low-income student categories, a trend Reed says underscores the importance of passing full-day kindergarten (FDK) legislation this year. A growing body of evidence suggests that FDK is particularly beneficial for these at-risk students since quality full-day programs have proven successful at identifying and addressing learning problems early on.

"We know that many children are already behind when they start school, and clearly the best time to address these shortcomings is at the beginning," Reed said. "While few would argue that FDK can solve every challenge, creating a level playing field is absolutely essential if we expect all students to succeed."

Reed points to research and testimonials from educators showing that students who attend full-day kindergarten exhibit increased academic achievement, improved attendance, better social skills and are less likely to be held back. A plan backed by Reed and Governor Daniels would phase-in FDK statewide over three years, beginning this fall with all students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.

Consequences

No Child Left Behind only includes consequences for public schools that participate in the federal Title I program and do not make AYP. Under the Title I program, corporations and schools with large populations of students from low-income families receive additional federal funding that is intended to help educate these at-risk students.

Sixty percent of the state's Title I-funded schools met AYP this year compared to 55 percent last year. If a Title I school or a school corporation does not demonstrate AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject area, it enters "Improvement Status." Improvement status consists of a series of interventions that progress according to the number of successive years the school does not make AYP. To be removed from improvement status, the school must make AYP for two consecutive years.

Of the 216 Title I schools placed in improvement status this year, the vast majority (77 percent) were concentrated in the first two levels of improvement:

Improvement status levels

Year 1 (School Choice) - 111 schools (51 percent).

Year 2 (Supplemental Services) - 56 schools (26 percent)

Year 3 (Corrective Action) - 25 schools (12 percent)

Year 4 (Restructuring Planning) - 10 schools (5 percent)

Year 5 and beyond (Restructuring Implementation) - 14 schools (7 percent)

Seven Title I schools made AYP for the second consecutive year and came out of improvement status this year; 58 other schools that were in improvement last year made AYP this year and must make it again next year to be removed from improvement.

For more AYP information, including corporation and school results, visit www.doe.state.in.us/ayp.