AYP Notice to Parents

2009

Dear Parents,

Our school district is dedicated to providing its students the education they need to prepare them to
graduate from high school and enter their adult lives. Our school is committed to maintaining a high
quality education for our students, and we are working hard to provide continuous support to our
teachers and our students as they work toward achieving the high academic standards we have set
for them.

What is Adequate Yearly Progress?

Federal law, under the No Child Left Behind Act, requires increased accountability for schools to
reach high standards for all students in reading and mathematics. Each year, as part of the
requirements for the No Child Left Behind Act, the state releases Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
reports for each school building in the state of North Dakota. These reports measure our students’
performance in terms of the percentage of students who are at or above state-defined academic
standards in reading and mathematics as measured by the North Dakota State Assessment. The
reports are called Adequate Yearly Progress reports, and the school is required to share these
reports with its parents.

How is Adequate Yearly Progress Determined?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to set proficiency standards for schools to
identify if schools are making Adequate Yearly Progress. Schools are then measured against these
proficiency standards in terms of the percentage of students who are meeting or above the standard.
Adequate Yearly Progress is then determined in terms of the following criteria:

• Currently, the state requires that, at each school building and in the district as a whole, 75.48 percent of students in reading and 65.98 percent of students in mathematics are at or above proficiency in terms of the state’s academic standards in order to be considered making Adequate Yearly Progress.
• In addition, the state further requires that the same percentage of several subgroups of
students must reach or exceed these standards.
• Also, in order to be considered making Adequate Yearly Progress, at least 95 percent of students must have taken North Dakota state assessment.
• Finally, high schools must meet or exceed a cohort graduation rate of 89.9 percent in order to make Adequate Yearly Progress.

Did our school make Adequate Yearly Progress?

Enclosed you will find our school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report(s). On that report, you will
note at the bottom our school’s AYP status. According to the report, our school:

• Met or exceeded the required proficiency percentages and made AYP.
• Did not have the required number of students to determine AYP status.
• Did not make Adequate Yearly Progress for one year, but was not identified for Program Improvement.
• Did not make Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more consecutive years and has been identified as a Program Improvement school.

What happens when a school is identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress?

Once a school or district has been identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more
consecutive years, the school or district enters what is called Program Improvement status. Under
Program Improvement, a school must write a plan for improving the academic achievement of its
students, and additional resources must be focused toward instructional strategies and supportive
programs aimed at meeting the needs of all students, including educationally disadvantaged
students. In addition, a school then enters a timeline of sanctions required under the No Child Left
Behind Act. As our school has made Adequate Yearly Progress, we are not facing any of these
sanctions at this time.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the state has set the aforementioned proficiency
standards. In addition, NCLB requires that states continue to raise these percentages so that, by the
year 2013-2014, 100% of students will be expected to be at or above the proficiency levels in reading
and mathematics or the school will be identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress.


What is our school doing to maintain its AYP status?

Improving the educational achievement of our students has always been a priority in our school
district. We are constantly working to implement research-based methods of teaching and learning
that will present our students with a quality educational program which provides them with the skills
and knowledge they need to succeed upon graduation from our school. Currently, our school is
undertaking the following improvement measures:

• Update software to correlate to local, state, and national standards being developed through school improvement on a district wide basis.
• Math- Have students increase their knowledge and use of math concepts.
• Intervention programs at appropriate grade levels, providing the opportunity for summer school or after school programs for all grade levels. The after school program will replace the summer program.
• Reading- By the end of the 2007 school year, 85% of our students will be at least at their appropriate grade level as measured by STAR reading and NWEA testing results.

What does this mean for me?

In order to reach the high academic goals for student proficiency set in No Child Left Behind, our
school needs your participation. Supporting the school and becoming involved in your child’ s
education is key to his/her academic progress. We would like to enlist your participation in our
improvement planning and initiatives. We need your support, and would certainly welcome any ideas
you have to continue our work to attain high academic standards for all students at our school.
Please contact the school at 701-584-2374 to become involved.



Sincerely,






------------------------------------

AYP Notice to Parents

2009

Dear Parents,

Our school district is dedicated to providing its students the education they need to prepare them to
graduate from high school and enter their adult lives. Our school is committed to maintaining a high
quality education for our students, and we are working hard to provide continuous support to our
teachers and our students as they work toward achieving the high academic standards we have set
for them.

What is Adequate Yearly Progress?

Federal law, under the No Child Left Behind Act, requires increased accountability for schools to
reach high standards for all students in reading and mathematics. Each year, as part of the
requirements for the No Child Left Behind Act, the state releases Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
reports for each school building in the state of North Dakota. These reports measure our students’
performance in terms of the percentage of students who are at or above state-defined academic
standards in reading and mathematics as measured by the North Dakota State Assessment. The
reports are called Adequate Yearly Progress reports, and the school is required to share these
reports with its parents.

How is Adequate Yearly Progress Determined?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to set proficiency standards for schools to
identify if schools are making Adequate Yearly Progress. Schools are then measured against these
proficiency standards in terms of the percentage of students who are meeting or above the standard.
Adequate Yearly Progress is then determined in terms of the following criteria:

• Currently, the state requires that, at each school building and in the district as a whole, 75.48 percent of students in reading and 65.98 percent of students in mathematics are at or above proficiency in terms of the state’s academic standards in order to be considered making Adequate Yearly Progress.
• In addition, the state further requires that the same percentage of several subgroups of
students must reach or exceed these standards.
• Also, in order to be considered making Adequate Yearly Progress, at least 95 percent of students must have taken North Dakota state assessment.
• Finally, high schools must meet or exceed a cohort graduation rate of 89.9 percent in order to make Adequate Yearly Progress.

Did our school make Adequate Yearly Progress?

Enclosed you will find our school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report(s). On that report, you will
note at the bottom our school’s AYP status. According to the report, our school:

• Met or exceeded the required proficiency percentages and made AYP.
• Did not have the required number of students to determine AYP status.
• Did not make Adequate Yearly Progress for one year, but was not identified for Program Improvement.
• Did not make Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more consecutive years and has been identified as a Program Improvement school.

What happens when a school is identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress?

Once a school or district has been identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more
consecutive years, the school or district enters what is called Program Improvement status. Under
Program Improvement, a school must write a plan for improving the academic achievement of its
students, and additional resources must be focused toward instructional strategies and supportive
programs aimed at meeting the needs of all students, including educationally disadvantaged
students. In addition, a school then enters a timeline of sanctions required under the No Child Left
Behind Act. As our school has made Adequate Yearly Progress, we are not facing any of these
sanctions at this time.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the state has set the aforementioned proficiency
standards. In addition, NCLB requires that states continue to raise these percentages so that, by the
year 2013-2014, 100% of students will be expected to be at or above the proficiency levels in reading
and mathematics or the school will be identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress.


What is our school doing to maintain its AYP status?

Improving the educational achievement of our students has always been a priority in our school
district. We are constantly working to implement research-based methods of teaching and learning
that will present our students with a quality educational program which provides them with the skills
and knowledge they need to succeed upon graduation from our school. Currently, our school is
undertaking the following improvement measures:

• Update software to correlate to local, state, and national standards being developed through school improvement on a district wide basis.
• Math- Have students increase their knowledge and use of math concepts.
• Intervention programs at appropriate grade levels, providing the opportunity for summer school or after school programs for all grade levels. The after school program will replace the summer program.
• Reading- By the end of the 2007 school year, 85% of our students will be at least at their appropriate grade level as measured by STAR reading and NWEA testing results.

What does this mean for me?

In order to reach the high academic goals for student proficiency set in No Child Left Behind, our
school needs your participation. Supporting the school and becoming involved in your child’ s
education is key to his/her academic progress. We would like to enlist your participation in our
improvement planning and initiatives. We need your support, and would certainly welcome any ideas
you have to continue our work to attain high academic standards for all students at our school.
Please contact the school at 701-622-3263 to become involved.



Sincerely,