OttawaHerald.com -- Community News. Community Connections.

	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

Subscriber Services Home Delivery Gift Subscription Stop-Start Delivery Missing Paper Back Issues Newsstand Locations Shopper Locations

Advertising Services Manage Your Account Place a Classified Ad Place a Display Ad Advertise Online Business Finder Directory

Other Services Submit News Laminated Items Photos & Keepsakes Article Archives Contact Us History of the Herald Our Policies

Suggest a poll topic

2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:53 AM

Local school districts hit testing targets

Area students score passing grades on AYP

By COURTNEY SERVAES, Herald Staff Writer

All four Franklin County school districts made the grade this year when it came to adequate yearly progress, or AYP.

During the 2008-09 school year the Ottawa, Wellsville, Central Heights and West Franklin school districts managed to meet AYP standards established under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Under the act, the nation’s schools must reach 100-percent proficiency by 2014. Targets that Kansas students must reach each year have been steadily increasing since 2002.

These school districts were among 88.5 percent of Kansas school districts to make the cut, a media release from the Kansas State Department of Education said.

“The good news is that Kansas schools are achieving their goals in reading and mathematics even though these same goals have increased substantially over last year,” Alexa Posny, Kansas commissioner of education, said in the release.

The Ottawa School District did not meet AYP in 2007-08 after the district’s students with disabilities did not meet the standards. In order to meet AYP, all of the district’s subgroups must meet the standards set by No Child Left Behind.

Once a school fails to meet AYP, it is placed on a list until it has two consecutive years of meeting or surpassing the standard. The district undergoes an audit from the state that includes classroom observations and visits with teachers and patrons.

Wellsville Superintendent Denise O’Dea said it’s challenging to meet AYP when it changes every year — especially with budget cuts.

“We will continue to provide the best educational environment that is possible and will continue to support our students in every way,” she said previously.

Despite this, Superintendent Dean Katt said faculty and teachers will continue to strive to meet the ever-changing standards.