When a student receives a report card, it is easy for a parent to evaluate the child’s performance. It is not so simple to evaluate the child’s school and the district it is within. The federal No Child Left Behind Act was meant to serve as a gauge, although it has foundered in bureaucracy. Nonetheless, when a school meets the standards of the act, it is an achievement.

Seaside School District has met those standards, and with no state funding. The district should be applauded for its continuing dedication to quality education. The following is a statement prepared by Seaside School District Superintendent Doug Dougherty to best explain the circumstances surrounding the accomplishment:

2006 Adequate Yearly Progress

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires the annual determination of whether schools, districts and states have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward the goal of having all students meet state standards by the 2013-2014 school year. Each year in Oregon, the performance of all students in each school and district, as well as subgroups of students, are measured against specific performance targets.

I am pleased to report that once again Seaside School District has met each of the federal requirements of AYP at each school and at the district level. Seaside is one of the few school districts in Oregon to do so. Although we question the relevance of the current AYP criteria, we work very hard to help all of our students achieve the rigorous academic standards.

One reason Seaside School District is able to meet these standards is related to our school improvement processes in literacy and mathematics. Since 1992, the teachers and administrators of the District’s School Improvement Steering Committee have been meeting monthly to analyze, discuss, and implement the ongoing improvements to our curriculum materials and instructional methods that are determined to be in the best interest of our students.

Even so, it is important we keep in mind what AYP isand what it is not. AYP is currently only a snapshot of student achievement in reading/language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics (knowledge and skills and math problem solving skills). The academic, participation, attendance, and graduation areas are broken down into the sub-categories of:

All students

Economically disadvantaged

Limited English proficient

Students with disabilities

Asian/Pacific Islander

Black (not of Hispanic origin)

Hispanic origin

American Indian/Alaskan Native

White (not of Hispanic origin)

Multi-racial/multi-ethnic

Schools and districts will not make AYP if any of these sub-categories in any one area does not make the target by even a fraction of a percentage. Each state independently determines the specific academic content to be measured at each grade level.

When examining Oregon’s Statewide Assessment results in AYP, it is important to understand that there is no connection among the grade level expectations. In addition, at the secondary grade levels, Oregon has some of the highest academic standards in the country. This is a significant reason why Oregon has fewer middle schools and high schools meet AYP and yet has rated either number one or two in the nation on SAT achievement over the past 10 years.

Oregon could more appropriately determine and monitor academic growth of the same group of students over time through statistically correlating the grade level expectations, rather than determine growth purely by comparing different students from the same grade level.