Forsyth Central High School joins over 50% of Georgia High Schools that came up short in this year's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report.  AYP is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and requires schools to meet standards in three areas: Test Participation,  Academic Performance, and a Second Indicator.

AYP is an early warning system for schools and school systems, that indicates areas where additional emphasis might be needed.  If a school does not make AYP for 2 consecutive years in the same category, it will be placed on a "Needs Improvement" list.  No Forsyth County school has been placed on this list since the No Child Left Behind initiative was implemented in 2001.

Forsyth Central High School did not meet the Annual Measurable Objective in Mathematics and in Graduation Rate for Economically Disadvantaged Students.  FCHS had 64.5% of their 62 students meet standards which did not meet the NCLB target of 74.9%.

“We are aware that we have work to do in regards to our Economically Disadvantaged student subgroup and this is something that we take very seriously,” said Forsyth Central HS Principal Rudy Hampton. “Next year we will have an Instructional Focus time built into our schedule each week. This time will provide additional academic assistance to all of our subgroups as well as our entire student population. I think this time period will have a huge impact on the performance of all our students. I would also like to note that while we didn’t make AYP, we did have huge gains in our overall graduation rate for this year, going from 77.8 percent in 2007 to 80.7 percent this year. That’s something we’re very proud of.”

Forsyth County Schools also had one school not make AYP in 2007, Coal Mountain Elementary School.  “We are so pleased at the progress Coal Mountain has made and are thrilled to announce that they have made AYP in 2008," stated L.C. (Buster) Evans, Superintendent.  “It was the dedication of the teachers and school leadership that helped them realize such great gains with our special education students in just one year.” 

Additionally, Forsyth County Schools did not make AYP as a school system for 2008. There were five areas that caused the district not to make AYP:  Academic Performance on the Georgia High School Graduation Test for Math resulted in 64.2% of Students with Disabilities (123 students) and 65.6% of Economically Disadvantaged Students (195 students) meeting standard when a percentage of 74.9% was needed. Academic Performance on the GHSGT for English Language Arts resulted in 80.5% of the Students with Disabilities (123 students) meeting standard when 87.7% was needed. Graduation Rate for Economically Disadvantaged Students (124 students) was 47.5% when 70% was required.

No major Atlanta area school system had 100% of its schools make AYP this year.  Click HERE to see a chart

What happens if a school or school district does not meet AYP?

Under NCLB, public schools and districts that do not meet AYP in the first year face no consequences. However, the school and/or district should develop/review its school and/or school district improvement plan.

Schools
Schools that do not meet AYP in the same subject for two or more consecutive years are placed in Needs Improvement status with escalating consequences for each successive year. Same subject is defined as two years of not making Reading/English Language Arts (participation or academic performance) or two years of not making mathematics (participation or academic performance) or two years of not making second indicator.

A Needs Improvement school is simply a school that has been identified as needing to improve in specific areas. Needs Improvement schools are NOT "failing" schools. Schools that do not make AYP for two or more consecutive years in the same subject are in need of improvement or are simply under-performing.

School-level consequences include:

• School Choice
• Supplemental Services/Instructional Extension
• School Improvement Plan
• Corrective Action Plan
• Plan & Implement Restructuring Plan

School Consequences and How they Escalate for Each the Needs Improvement Status

School Districts
School districts that do not meet AYP in the same subject at both grade spans (elementary/middle and high) for two or more consecutive years are placed in Needs Improvement status with escalating consequences for each successive year. Same subject is defined as two years of not making Reading/English Language Arts (participation or academic performance) or two years of not making mathematics (participation or academic performance) or two years of not making second indicator.

A Needs Improvement school district is simply a school district that has been identified as needing to improve in specific areas. Needs Improvement school districts are NOT "failing" schools. School districts that do not make AYP for two or more consecutive years in the same subject at both grade spans are in need of improvement or are simply under-performing.

District Consequences and How they Escalate for Each Needs Improvement Status