Area schools fare well in AYP

About 56 percent of Lynchburg-area public schools met the increasing standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to figures released by the Virginia Department of Education on Thursday.

Statewide, 71 percent of Virginia schools met the annual benchmarks in reading and math.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires public schools to meet 29 different benchmarks — which have higher pass rates each year — to achieve the accountability measure known as Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP.

In Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson, 38 of 69 schools met AYP, although 11 schools missed the standard by failing just one of the 29 benchmarks.

“We expect all students to achieve,” said Robert Johnson, superintendent of Campbell County Schools, where 5 out of 14 schools, or about 36 percent, met AYP. “We’re not going to fight it; we’re going to do the best that we can to meet those benchmarks.”

Last year, seven of Campbell County’s schools met the benchmarks.

Here’s how other area school divisions fared, according to the state education department:

n Eight of Lynchburg’s 16 schools met AYP, down from last year’s nine. But the division as a whole did not meet the standards. Earlier this summer, officials announced their anticipated results; Thursday’s state report mirrored that announcement.

n In Bedford County, the only local division as a whole to meet AYP, 14 out of 21 schools met the requirements. Seven schools also did not meet the requirements last year, but two of the schools were different.

At a school board meeting Thursday, Superintendent Douglas Schuch said the division will analyze the results and use the data to improve student achievement.

“The AYP rules are so complicated,” he said. “To me, the most important thing is that our overall trends are upward.”

-Nelson County did not meet AYP as a division, but all four of its schools met the standards. Last year, two schools in Nelson did not meet the requirements.

-Two out of four schools in Appomattox County met AYP, but the division as a whole did not. Last year, only one school missed the mark.

-Half of Amherst’s 10 schools met AYP, but the division did not as a whole. Last year, only two schools did not meet all requirements.

Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years and accept federal Title I money are subject to sanctions, such as allowing students to attend another school.

The only Central Virginia schools that receive Title I funds and could face sanctions are elementary schools.

AYP is not the same as accreditation, which is the state’s accountability system for public schools. Official accreditation results for all school divisions are likely to be released by the state education department later this summer.

No Child Left Behind seeks to have all students, regardless of race, poverty level or disability, proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014.

Education experts have long been critical of No Child Left Behind due to its rigid all-or-nothing standards that are likened to “moving targets” since pass rates increase each year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.