By Carla Branch and Alex Hampl
alexandrianews.org
ACPS Superintendent Dr. Morton Sherman. (Photo: Regan Kireilis)
Although Virginia Standards of Learning test scores improved this year for the Alexandria City Public School system, the division failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. ACPS has never met this federal benchmark since NCLB became law in 2002.
Seven elementary schools – Charles Barrett, Patrick Henry, Lyles-Crouch, Douglas MacArthur, George Mason, James K. Polk and Samuel W. Tucker – made AYP for the 2009-10 school year. AYP is based on pass rates for seven different NCLB subgroups in reading and math. For a school to make AYP, it must meet 29 benchmarks. None of the secondary schools met AYP. Before they were split into five separate schools, Francis Hammond Middle School and George Washington Middle School made AYP last year. In Virginia, 60% of all schools made AYP, down from 71% in 2009.
All of the 19 schools were accredited by the State. Jefferson-Houston Elementary School was accredited with warning in English and history.
“While I will continue to work toward the goal of having every school make AYP, we are not merely focusing on testing and test scores,” said Dr. Morton Sherman, ACPS superintendent. “The goal really is to provide an individualized world-class education for each and every child and to develop each child’s potential. There are clear signs in the assessment results that we are going in the right direction.”
The Results
Overall, ACPS showed improvement in math, writing, science and history and declined by one percentage point in reading/English. In math, ACPS students went from a pass rate of 76% in 2009 to 78% this year. Under the Virginia SOLs, divisions were required to have a pass rate of 79% in math. ACPS students showed the most improvement in writing with a pass rate of 88% this year, up from 84% in 2009. In science, students improved by two percentage points from 81% to 83%. Students improved from a pass rate of 83% to 84% in history. The reading/English pass rate declined by one point from 85% in 2009 to 84% this year.
ACPS students in nearly every NCLB subgroup showed improvement on all SOL tests. Students with disabilities improved from 67% to 69% in reading/English; from 58% to 64% in math; 50% to 59% in writing; 63% to 69% in history and 57% to 59% in science. Black students improved from 80% to 81% in reading/English; from 69% to 73% in math; from 80% to 86% in writing; from 79% to 81% in history and 74% to 79% in science. Hispanic students went from a pass rate of 81% to 78% in reading/English; from 69% to 72% in math; from 78% to 82% in writing; from 76% to 77% in writing and from 74% to 78% in science. Economically disadvantaged students showed a slight decline in reading/English, going from a pass rate of 79% in 2009 to 78% this year. In math, these students improved from 68% to 72%; in writing, from 75% to 83%; in history, from 76% to 77% and in science, from 71% to 77%. White ACPS students’ scores remained relatively the same.
“As a school division, over the past two years, reading and math scores have improved for all NCLB subgroups of students, achievement gaps have narrowed, attendance has improved, graduation rates are over 95% for the class of 2010 and Advanced Placement enrollment has increased,” Sherman said.
While AP scores were not available, Sherman said that they showed improvement. According to ACPS, the number of students who were enrolled in an AP Course increased from 489 in 2009 to 627 this year. The number of tests taken went from 988 in 2009 to 1,235 this year. This is the highest number of AP students ever to participate, and the highest number of AP tests taken since the ACPS policy change requiring that all AP students take the test, according to information provided by ACPS.