Council Rock School District achieved adequate yearly progress in 2011-12, according to recent PSSA results published on the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website, but several schools were placed on warning status or School Improvement 1.
Adequate yearly progress or AYP is how the federal law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), measures the achievement of public schools across the nation.
In Pennsylvania, public school students in grades three through eight as well as students in grade 11 take standardized reading and math tests known as the PSSA each spring.
Students then receive scores of below basic, basic, proficient or advanced based on the results of these standardized tests.
Every year the percentage of students expected to demonstrate proficiency grows. This growth will continue until 2014, when NCLB calls for 100 percent of students to test at a level of proficient or higher.
In 2011-12, Pennsylvania called for 78 percent of students in districts and schools to score proficient or above on the math test and 81 percent of students to score proficient or above in the reading assessment.
The AYP requirements are meant to measure whether schools or districts are making sufficient progress towards the year 2014 goal of 100 percent proficiency.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Council Rock High School North, Council Rock High School South and Richboro Middle School did not make AYP for 2011-12.
CR North and the middle school were placed on warning, which means that they did not meet AYP measures for the first time in the current year. The schools have another year to achieve AYP measures.
CR South was placed on School Improvement 1, which means that the school did not meet AYP measures for two consecutive years in the same subject. School officilas will develop an improvement plan to turn the school around and will receive technical assistance to help get it back on track.
Click on the .pdf to view a graphic representation of the meaning of the state's different AYP designations.
However I dont buy the argument about cultural backgrounds, and varying IQs and standardized tests. Top notch global education systems use standardized testing and those countries consistently rank better that the United States in academic performance. I also am strongly in favor of standardized testing as I went through decades of it to become a doctor. However I am curious to learn the context of how and why CRs flagship skills did so poorly. Especially if I plan to send to my kids to them.
Another factor is the pressure these kids have to be in organized school and non-school activities. Add that to TV, Video,UTube, Txting, jobs, you name it, there is so many diversions for the high school student that academic work is not a priority and the kids are burned out! My son goes to CRSouth and is a freshman. Thank g-d he scored above and proficient on everything from 8th grade, but I see that the classroom and school is VERY overcrowded. It's up to each student to reach out to teachers and NOT the other way around, unfortunately. The teachers need to reach out to ALL students- make regular after class appts for even the "good" kids. When the students see they are more than a face in the crowded class there will be improvement.