Fair / 72° F
Archived Story
Pike County Schools make AYP
Published 11:00pm Tuesday, August 7, 2012All five schools in the Pike County School System and the overall system have made AYP for the school year 2011-2012.
Adequate Yearly Progress or AYP is a measurement defined by the United States federal “No Child Left Behind Act” that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized tests.
Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools, said he is pleased with the results that verify that the Pike County School System is meeting the performance standards set by “No Child Left Behind.”
“While we are pleased with the results, we know there is always room for improvement,” Bazzell said. “We will look for areas where we need to improve and work on those areas.”
Making AYP for 2011-12 was an improvement over the previous year when both Goshen and Pike County high schools failed to make AYP.
However, not making AYP was not due to academic standards, Bazzell said.
“It had to do with the drop-out rate, which is a goal set by AYP that we have no control over,” he said. “A lot of the influences on at-risk students have nothing to do with school.”
Bazzell said the Pike County School System has several dropout prevention programs in place and, hopefully, these programs are making a positive difference.
“We try new programs that are working for other systems,” he said. “One new program that we will implement is a credit recovery program. This program gives a student who is behind in credits to earn credits using ACCESS or other technologies. However, I prefer that students learn by the more traditional method.”
Bazzell said the Pike County Schools are committed to dropout prevention and have preventive services in place, as well as personal and academic counseling.
Bazzell said he is very please that the graduation rate numbers improved last year and is expecting another good year in 2012-13.
What about Troy City Schools? They are ominously quiet.
Report comment
No worries. The miraculous i-pad will save the day! In another year, the graduates of CHHS will all be competing for Rhodes Scholarships thanks to Apple’s “magical A-student making machine”.
Report comment
I know it is not politically correct to mention this, but there has been a shift in demographics in the past few years, that is much of the problem with Troy City schools not meeting AYP. Many parents who are able to, are getting their children out of Troy City Schools and into the county schools and Pike Lib. The teachers are still doing a good job, just as they did when I attended Troy City Schools! Some measures are out of their control. Parents need to become more involved in their childrens education.
Report comment
The only AYP measures that are not directly under the control of the school system are participation rates and dropout rates.
Don’t blame the Black students for the lack of performance of the schools. Believe it or not, they learn too, if properly instructed.
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”–J. Michael Straczynski
Report comment
Okay. Are all those students leaving the city schools to go to Pike County because of all the blue maps they have or to Pike Lib for the championships they have in football and baseball?
Report comment
Finally omelas I agree with something you said.The problem we have is the school has 3 support people to ever teacher.Also I went to city of troy school my kids did to but at that time they could get a quality education so DO NOT BLAME parents for wanting the best for there kids fix the problem.Ninety percent of the kids would not even know the superintendent or his office staff If by accident they showed up at there school.There solution is move across town away from the problem[the school].As far as kids not being able to learn they are learning somewhere look atTroy univ.
Report comment
Soooooo you went to Troy City Schools. Exactly which teacher(s) gets credit for your tremendous command of the English language?
Report comment
Heck, Bill, onlyintroy probably IS the English teacher.
Report comment
I’m sure there’s an app for that! LOL!
“Technology… is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.”–Carrie P Snow
Report comment
That reply was to Bill’s iPad comment.
Report comment