The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

The Texas Education Agency recently announced 44 percent of Texas school campuses met the Adequate Yearly Progress, known as the AYP, which is a federal accountability system. However, in Orange County only one school met the requirements.

The Bridge City school district was the only public district in Orange County this year to meet the federal standards set by the U.S. Department of Education under the 2001 ‘No Child Left Behind Act.’

“I am proud of the teachers and kids work,” said Mike King, BCISD superintendent. “We are going to continue to work and stress that we’re offering the whole education and not just the ability to take tests.”

Overall the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD missed meeting the standards in math and reading. Separately, the high school did not pass the math portion as did the Mauriceville Middle School while the Little Cypress Middle School missed in reading and math. The high school successfully met the standards.

The West Orange school district struggled as well with their scores with an overall rating as not meeting standards in reading and math. The high school and middle school both missed the standards in math while the elementary school missed in reading and math.

Orangefield ISD overall missed in reading and math with the same rating for the junior high and elementary schools. However, the high school only missed meeting the math standards.

All Texas school districts and campuses are rated based on federal and state expectations. Under federal accountability, districts either meet AYP or they do not. However, under the state accountability, district campuses receive ratings such as exemplary, recognized, acceptable or unacceptable ratings.

During the 2011-12 school year, the state tests were changed to the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness which replaced the TAKS which had been given for the previous eight years.

Over the past three years, the federal AYP system has increased passing expectations 14 percentage points in reading/language arts and 16 percentage points in math. By the 2013-14 school year, 100 percent of students will be expected to pass both the math and reading STAAR assessments, according to information from the LC-M ISD.

“Our faculty and staff did an exceptional job of preparing our students for the new test which more rigorous, complex, lengthy and time-driven with higher standards.

In reading, the district had 88 percent of all students pass (AYP requires 87 percent) and in mathematics, the district had 82 percent of all students pass (AYP requires 83 percent.) Though our student achievement is commendable, the district did not meet AYP due to federal limits on the number of students with special needs who can be tested on modified or alternative assessments, even when they have passed.

Though the government does not recognize their success for accountability purposes, we do and we are very proud of them,” said LC-M CISD superintendent Pauline Hargrove in a statement.

Attempts to reach Orangefield ISD and West Orange for comment were unsuccessful.

Pictured: Mike King, superintendent of BCISD