What The Hell Is AYP?

In a new “Explainer” ES’ Erin Dillon and I unpack what it means for a school to make (or not make) “adequate yearly progress” or “AYP” under No Child Left Behind (pdf). We discuss how AYP works and show what the performance targets are state-by-state. For instance, did you know that in only five states do more than 8 in 10 students in any schools have to pass the state test* in order for the school to meet the goal? The median targets nationally are closer to 5 or 6 students in 10 having to pass the state test for the school to meet the state goal. Important context when all the hand wringing starts in August about how unrealistic this all is…

*And what it means to pass the state tests in the first place varies a lot, too, as this ES Explainer shows.