Northfield Schools Improve AYP Standing

Three of Northfield School District’s six schools achieved what state and federal standards set as adequate progress on reading and math tests for 2011.

Schools deemed to have made adequate progress were , and , according to state data released Friday.

Schools not making adequate progress were , and .

and made adequate progress, according to the data.

AYP is a measure of the percentage of students at a school who are proficient in reading and math, based on standardized test performances—in Minnesota, those are the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments that students take each spring.

Attendance rates also are factored in to AYP, as are graduation rates for high schools.

The targets for proficiency are defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The goal of the act is for all public school students in the United States to become proficient in math and reading by 2014.

The U.S. Department of Education told states they could apply for a waiver from some provisions of NCLB beginning in November, according to a Minnesota Department of Education news release. MDE Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said Minnesota would apply.

“Labeling schools as “failures” or imposing one-size-fits-all mandates is a flawed way to address the unique challenges facing some of our schools,” Cassellius said in the release.

Last year, only Northfield High School made AYP, according to state records. Both ARTech and Prairie Creek made AYP last year.

If a school or district does not make AYP for two years in a row, it's identified for improvement, and moves through increasing steps toward improvement each year that it doesn't meet the standards. The Northfield School District falls in this category and is currently in corrective action.