Alaska News

Alaska schools slip below federal education standards

In a press release, the Alaska Department of Education announced that of the 507 public schools statewide, only 236 (46.5 percent) succeeded in meeting federal "adequate yearly progress" standards for the 2011-12 school year.

In order for a school to achieve "adequate yearly progress," it must meet or exceed 40 targets including attendance, graduation rates, and academic proficiency in math, reading and writing. The majority of progress data is gathered throughout the school year via tests taken by students in grades 3-12.

Alaska's effort to meet targets of the federal No Child Left Behind Act's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report has been an ongoing struggle. Some regard the report as a way to hold schools accountable, while others see it as an impossible standard that only hurts the reputation of lower-scoring institutions.

According to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the AYP "does not show that our schools are failing." Instead, the News-Miner suggests, the AYP's results really "show that disadvantaged, handicapped and minority children in Fairbanks are not meeting the same achievement targets as the overall student population."

While the shock of a 45.6 percent "acceptable" rate may leave some parents uneasy, there is a silver lining. KYUR reports that more than 70 state schools have improved on targets previously unmet, while eight no longer face No Child Left Behind consequences. Additionally, the overall state graduation rate is up 1.39 percent.

For more information visit the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development's page here, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner here or KYUR's report here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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