 | AYP Results: 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress Results for Minnesota Schools
9/30/2011 9:00 AM(September 30, 2011 -- Roseville, MN) As required under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law and
state statute, the Minnesota Department of Education released adequate
yearly progress (AYP) data for schools today. Minnesota sought a
temporary waiver from certain provisions of NCLB on August16, but to
date the United States Department of Education has not acted on the
waiver request. They instead have laid out a process by which states can
apply for a waiver from NCLB mandates beginning in November, and for
which Minnesota Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said Minnesota would
apply.
“Minnesota is directed by state law to release AYP data
this year - however we are hopeful that positive changes in how we
measure, support, and report school improvement are on the way,” said
Commissioner Cassellius. “Labeling schools as “failures” or imposing
one-size-fits-all mandates is a flawed way to address the unique
challenges facing some of our schools.”
Federal law states that schools that do not meet AYP must face the
same consequences as they did in previous years under NCLB. If Minnesota
is granted a waiver, relief from those mandates may come as soon as
this school year.
“As we put together our waiver package, we aim to put Minnesota’s
stamp of excellence and our own common sense approach on efforts to
reform education,” said Cassellius. “That means continuing to implement
our rigorous standards that prepare all students for college and career,
designing more meaningful accountability systems to measure student
growth, supporting and rewarding schools making good progress, and
partnering with local school districts that know best how to support the
children they serve.”
Prior to the release of AYP data, Commissioner Cassellius provided an
optional letter to parents that school districts could choose to send
with their mandated AYP letters. This letter is intended to provide
information about AYP, Minnesota’s waiver request and what an AYP
designation may mean for the school their son or daughter attends.
We believe the Department must play a leadership role in helping
parents and the public understand the challenges of the current law, and
its inability to give us a full and accurate picture of the quality of
education students are receiving, “said Cassellius. “We also believe it
is important for parents to know the Department of Education is taking
an active role in seeking changes to ensure that our state and federal
education policies work for all of Minnesota’s children.”
AYP_Letter_for_Parents.pdf
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