School districts released preliminary results on Adequate Yearly Progress today. And the results, as usual, are mixed.
The good news is more students are passing end-of-grade and end-of-course test. That's true in Durham, Wake, and most of the other large districts across the state. But as No Child Left Behind goes, the number isn't high enough, especially this year. The proficiency goal rose to more than 70 % for 3rd through 8th graders in reading. That's up about 30 points from last year and is causing most schools to miss the target. In Durham, for example, 55 % of students scored well enough this year to be proficient - that's a slight increase, but more than 15 points below the standard set by No Child Left Behind. In three years, No Child Left Behind will raise the goal again - to 100 %proficiency.