Patrick County Public Schools is just one of twenty-three school divisions across the state of Virginia who can claim that all schools within the division have met or exceeded Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals.
Preliminary Results Indicate All Schools in Division Meet AYP Goals
This is based on preliminary AYP results released by the Virginia Department of Education. A press release from the Virginia Department of Education, dated August 23, 2007, noted that Patrick County Public Schools is one of 23 school divisions in which all schools met AYP, as well as one of only eighteen school divisions to meet AYP.
Each school within the division met or exceeded the goal of a 71% pass rate in mathematics and a 73% pass rate in Reading/Language Arts. This goal is set by the state and increases annually. The goal for next year will be 75% in mathematics and 77% in Reading/Language Arts. By the year 2014, the goal will be 100% passing across the student body as a whole, as well as in all subgroups.
When determining whether a school or school division meets AYP goals, the state groups all students together, and then looks at them in individual subgroups: male/female, black/white/Hispanic/Asian; disabled; economically disadvantaged; and limited English proficiency. Each subgroup is expected to also meet or exceed the AYP pass rate. This past school year marked a change in the way limited English proficiency students are assessed, and many school divisions had negative repercussions from this change, often resulting in failure to meet AYP. All students considered limited English proficient were required to take the grade-level reading test appropriate for that student, regardless of the student’s pass level in the English language. The achievement of meeting the annual AYP goal in Reading/Language Arts, given this change in procedure, shows the dedication and effort put in by staff throughout Patrick County Public Schools.
