Both Welches Elementary and Middle Schools failed to meet the requirements
of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in results released by the Oregon
Department of Education last month.

The requirements, part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), measure academic
achievement in mathematics and English/language arts, while also setting
requirements for attendance and graduation rates.

Schools must meet the benchmarks in numerous subgroups to qualify for the
AYP designation.

Welches Elementary School did not meet the benchmark in math for the
students with disabilities subgroup, while Welches Middle School did not meet
the benchmark in attendance (the target was 92 percent, while the school saw
91.5 percent participation).

District officials noted a high incident of flu contributing to a lower
participation rate at the middle school.

“There’s not any obvious reason for not meeting in math for the students with
disabilities at (Welches Elementary School),” said Oregon Trail School
District’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Debbie Johnson, in an email.
“Cohorts of students change from year to year. We will continue to fine tune
program and instruction to meet the changing needs of our students.”

The elementary school has met requirements since the testing was initiated in
2002, while the middle school failed to meet requirements in 2005 in the
students with disabilities subgroup for English.

Johnson also added that the schools, headed by new principal Alex Leaver,
will revise the school improvement plan this fall, including assessment data
such as AYP and instructional practices.

“AYP is just one tool that is used to monitor academic progress of students,”
noted Johnson, citing student work samples and teacher assessments as other
examples. “While we want to be sure the schools meet AYP, our goal is farther
reaching. We want to be sure that students are high school and college
ready.”

Meanwhile, Sandy High School mathematics achievement increased from 50
percent of students meeting standards for the 2008-09 school year to 59.54
percent for the 2009-10 school year. The school also saw continued growth in
English/language arts, from 71 percent to 82 percent over the last two years.
However, the Special Education and Economically Disadvantaged student
subgroups did not meet AYP.

Elsewhere in the district, Naas Elementary School, Kelso Elementary School,
Cottrell Elementary School and Firwood Elementary School met AYP
requirements.

“The mission of the Oregon Trail School District is to provide a high quality
educational system that inspires all students to actively pursue educational
excellence and responsible citizenship,” said Superintendent Shelley Redinger
in a press release. “And measurements such as Adequate Yearly Progress are
one tool among many that help us achieve our mission.”

Johnson reported that the U.S. Department of Education is reviewing the
Elementary Secondary Education Act of the NCLB, and new specifications are
expected this fall.

To view the report, visit the Oregon Department of Education at
ode.state.or.us