The Echo

From Transparentchristina.wordpress.com.
Go Here to see how your school ranks -  http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/state-releases-school-ratings-completes-the-texas-two-step-netde/

BUT DONT MISS THE IMPORTANT TEXT IN PR STATEMENT BELOW CONCERNING AMO RESET!

State Releases 2011 School Ratings
Release Date: Aug 26, 2011 7:29 AM ShareThis

Delaware’s Department of Education today released its first set of annual school ratings since the state raised requirements for student proficiency in core subjects and streamlined school rating categories.

While the changes in the ratings system, consolidation of categories and a reset of the state’s Annual Measureable Objectives (AMO) make a direct comparison to last year’s ratings more difficult, the new ratings provide a sustainable baseline to measure schools against the state’s higher expectations for student performance. The shift from seven to three rating categories, which separates school ratings and school improvement statuses, also brings more clarity around school performance.

In 2011, 137 Delaware schools earned “superior” ratings, 32 were rated “commendable” and 37 were rated as under “academic watch.” Last year, 66 schools were rated “superior,” 17 schools “commendable,” 46 schools “academic review,” 0 schools “academic progress,” 26 schools “academic progress – under improvement,” 0 schools “academic watch” and 37 schools “academic watch – under improvement.”

Under the new accountability system, schools are classified in one of three categories:

•Superior means that the school is “above” targets

•Commendable means the school “meets” targets

•Academic Watch means the school is “below” targets

While the ratings provide a view into a school’s overall performance, a school also can receive an additional status of “under improvement” if it failed to meet annual yearly progress performance targets for two or more consecutive years in a specific area or areas. Those areas can include: participation in reading or math; performance in reading or math; or issues around other academic indicators, such as graduation rate or attendance rate.

A total of 66 schools have been designated “under improvement” this year, 32 of which made adequate yearly progress but are frozen in that status until they do so for two consecutive years. The other 34 did not make AYP.

Federal law and Delaware regulations require that certain corrective actions be taken by schools designated as “under improvement.”

In addition to simplifying the school rating system, the Delaware Department of Education — with the support of the state’s districts and charter schools and at the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education — applied for a reset of its Annual Measurable Objective (AMO). “AMO” refers to the percentage of students within a school who must be proficient in reading and mathematics on state standardized tests each year as required under federal No Child Left Behind regulations. Under the 2001 law, all students must demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2013-2014.

The “reset” changed the interim AMO “steps” or target percentages schools must meet but still adheres to the requirement that 100 percent of Delaware public school students in grades 3-8 and 10 demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2013-14.

The change to the AMOs was the result of the introduction last school year of a new statewide assessment and higher proficiency standards, which raise the bar for what level of mastery is considered proficient. Other states also were granted similar resets due to changes in their state assessment or other policy changes.

The state followed a federal formula to determine the new interim steps, which moved schools’ reading target for 2011 from 84 percent to 50 percent of students being proficient and the math target from 75 percent to 49 percent.