Data show two area schools failed to meet state standards

Two Columbia County schools -- Harlem High and North Harlem Elementary -- failed to make adequate yearly progress, according to data released last week by state education officials.

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Adequate yearly progress is a state standard for academic improvement in public schools as mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. It is determined using test scores and a second indicator. In Columbia County, the second indicator for elementary and middle schools is attendance rates, and in high schools the indicator is graduation rates.

Graduation rates measure the percentage of pupils graduating from high school within four years.

For a second year, Harlem High failed to meet a 75 percent graduation rate, which is the standard. The school posted a 64.1 percent graduation rate this year, which is down 4.2 percent compared to last year.

Harlem High now is on the needs improvement list and will have to offer students an option to transfer to a higher-performing school or tutoring services.

Schools Title 1 Director Lisa Soloff said she and other school officials hope to develop a plan by the end of the month to help Harlem High improve its graduation rate.

Earlier this year, administrators and counselors at Harlem initiated a new program called Commitment 2 Graduate, which offers encouragement and incentives to students to graduate on time.

"I think we're going to try to filter some of that into our plan and into the middle schools as well," Soloff said.

Also, economically disadvantaged students at Harlem High failed to meet standards on the math portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test, but Soloff said she will appeal that decision.

Last week's test results don't reflect the results of state retests, which will be factored into the determinations at a later time. Soloff believes revised test scores will show that the school did meet adequate yearly progress for that category.

For at least a second year, black pupils at North Harlem failed to meet the academic performance standards. However, the school will not be listed as a needs improvement school.

Last year, black pupils failed to meet math standards on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. This year, those pupils failed to meet the reading standards.

A school must fail in the same category twice before going on needs improvement.

Schools must meet adequate yearly progress measures, which steadily increase, for every demographic group of students. A school that misses one target for one group does not reach it.

School2008 AYP Status2008 AYP Measures Met2009 Initial AYP Status2009 Measures Met2009 Improvement Status

Bel Air ElementaryMet9 of 9Met9 of 9Distinguished

Blue Ridge ElementaryMet11 of 11Met8 of 8Distinguished

Brookwood ElementaryMet11 of 11Met9 of 9Distinguished

Cedar Ridge ElementaryMet9 of 9Met11 of 11Adequate

Columbia MiddleMet11 of 11Met9 of 9Distinguished

Euchee Creek ElementaryMet7 of 7Met7 of 7Distinguished

Evans ElementaryMet5 of 5Met7 of 7Distinguished

Evans HighDid Not Meet8 of 9Met9 of 9Adequate

Evans MiddleMet11 of 11Met11 of 11Distinguished

Greenbrier ElementaryMet8 of 8Met7 of 7Distinguished

Greenbrier HighMet7 of 7Met7 of 7Distinguished

Greenbrier MiddleMet10 of 10Met10 of 10Distinguished

Grovetown ElementaryMet9 of 9Met9 of 9Distinguished

Grovetown MiddleMet11 of 11Met11 of 11Distinguished

Harlem HighDid Not Meet6 of 9Did Not Meet7 of 9Needs Improvement

Harlem MiddleMet11 of 11Met10 of 10Distinguished

Lakeside HighMet6 of 6Met10 of 10Distinguished

Lakeside MiddleMet11 of 11Met10 of 10Distinguished

Lewiston ElementaryMet9 of 9Met9 of 9Distinguished

Martinez ElementaryMet7 of 7Met9 of 9Distinguished

North Columbia ElementaryMet7 of 7Met7 of 7Distinguished

North Harlem ElementaryDid Not Meet8 of 9Did Not Meet9 of 10Adequate - Not met

River Ridge ElementaryMet5 of 5Met5 of 5Distinguished

Riverside ElementaryMet9 of 9Met7 of 7Distinguished

Riverside MiddleMet10 of 10Met9 of 9Distinguished

South Columbia ElementaryMet7 of 7Met8 of 8Distinguished

Stallings Island Middle Met8 of 8Adequate

Stevens Creek ElementaryMet7 of 7Met9 of 9Distinguished

Westmont ElementaryMet7 of 7Met7 of 7Distinguished