TRAVERSE CITY -- Several area high schools did not meet state and federal standards for student achievement last year, but administrators urged caution when interpreting the results.
In Traverse City, West Senior High, Central High School and alternative Traverse City High School did not meet "adequate yearly progress" standards, or AYP, for the 2006-07 school year, according to state-wide results reported Friday.
A school's AYP status reflects student performance in math and English language arts, and participation in standardized tests. The state reports school results annually as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Last school year, 489 high schools statewide did not meet AYP standards, up from 399 the year before. Schools also receive letter grades based on test scores and internal assessments.
Administrators in Traverse City are looking at ways to increase achievement for all students, including those who are economically disadvantaged or who have disabilities -- both of whom could have struggled with the more difficult Michigan Merit Exam, Superintendent James Feil said. The 11th-grade test replaced the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) tests and includes the ACT college entrance exam.
"We're moving into more and more personalized instruction and the expectation that every student can achieve at a high level," Feil said.
Bellaire Public Schools met AYP standards, but Superintendent James Emery said school report cards are just a snapshot of what schools can offer students. Some schools, Emery said, don't meet AYP standards simply because not enough students took the test.
Kalkaska Public Schools' high school met state standards, but one test fell beneath AYP standards at Northside Educational Center.
"We have 13 kids who were tested, but only one met the attendance requirement for AYP results," said Brian Harbour, principal at the alternative school.
He said the resulting "failing school" label is a misrepresentation of progress made by nearly 100 students there, of which 70 percent are making better grades this semester than last.
Kalkaska isn't the only district with low test results for alternative students.
Gaylord Community Schools also failed to meet AYP standards at the high school level because of combined scores with the alternative education program, said Brian Pearson, director of curriculum. He said improving scores for alternative students is an important goal.
"It's a challenge, and we have to look at alternative ways these kids can learn the same things," Pearson said.
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