CNN/AP: One fourth of nation's schools fail 'no child' standards

[DeepModem Mom]

One fourth of nation's schools fail 'no child' standards

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than a fourth of the nation's schools failed to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Law last year, according to preliminary numbers reported to the Department of Education.

About half the states increased the number of schools making "adequate yearly progress" in improving student test scores in math and reading in the 2004-05 school year. Overall, 27 percent of the schools failed to show adequate improvement, up one percentage point from the year before.

"This is just one piece of data we look at," said Chad Colby, a spokesman for the Department of Education. These numbers alone don't signify a trend in how schools are doing, he said Wednesday. "This isn't a trend indicator in proficiency."

Schools receiving federal poverty aid can be sanctioned for not making "adequate yearly progress" two years in a row, with administrators and teachers eventually being replaced.

To meet goals, schools must show overall improvement, plus gains by minority students, poor students, students with limited English skills and students with disabilities....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/03/29/no.child.left.behind.ap/index.html