November 30, 2007

LANSING – The percentage of Michigan high schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) this past year increased by over nine percent, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The state reports that for the 2006-07 school year, 489 high schools did not make AYP, which is required by the federal No Child Left Behind law, compared to 399 high schools that did not make AYP the previous year. Of the 489 schools not making AYP last year, 15 have been closed by their local school districts.

“This isn’t unexpected,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “We changed our high school graduation requirements because we knew we needed higher standards to prepare our kids for the demands of college and the work world.  These results just remind us how critical that change was.

“We knew that as we begin to ratchet-up expectations of our schools so all of our students can be successful, we would see a few years of lower results,” Flanagan said. “We are seeing a momentary lag as we prepare for greater success down the road. The reforms we’ve put into place need time to work.”

Flanagan explained that recent changes in state law are paving the way for real success for all students and schools. The changes include the new high school graduation requirements that are among the most rigorous in the nation; the new rigorous Michigan Merit Exam, which requires all Michigan high school students to take the ACT college entrance exam for the first time; and the new Michigan Promise scholarship that offers greater opportunity and access to higher education for Michigan students.

Over 300 high schools did not make AYP this past year because of low scores on the ACT-based Michigan Merit Exam, which tests students on subjects that many of them may not have taken. This year’s ninth-graders are the first to be required to take the more rigorous coursework in order to graduate.

Flanagan noted that the state of Illinois , which also uses the ACT as its state high school test, saw an increase of 17 percent in the number of high schools not making AYP.

“As students meet the new high school content and graduation requirements, they will have achieved Michigan ’s promise of receiving a 21^st Century education that will prepare them for 21^st Century jobs,” Flanagan said.

The number of high schools receiving AYP Report Cards includes special education centers and alternative high schools. AYP Report Cards for public elementary and middle schools were reported August.

With the reporting now complete for the elementary, middle, and high school levels, school districts also received their AYP reports. Of the 551 public school districts, Public School Academies , and Intermediate School Districts that receive AYP reports, 19 did not making AYP this past year, compared to four in 2005-06.

The public can access statewide, local school district, and individual school building data from the Michigan Department of Education website: www.michigan.gov/mde

2007 Education YES! High School Report Card at a Glance

AYP applies to each district and school in the state; however, the type of NCLB consequences and support for schools that do not make AYP for two or more years in a row, depends on if the school or district receives Title 1 funding. These schools are called High Priority Schools. Click here for more information on high priority schools.