What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?
Starting with the 2002-2003 school year, individual schools and the school division as a whole will be held accountable for reaching state-established target goals for the percentage of students proficient in reading and mathematics. For high schools there is an additional annual target goal for graduation rate, and in elementary and middle schools there is a target goal for student attendance rate. Reaching these target goals is referred to as making “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP). A key provision in the NCLB law is that each school and school division must make AYP for each of the target goals, but the progress must be for the overall student population as well as for each of the following subgroup populations: students with disabilities, students with limited English Proficiency, economically disadvantaged students (free and reduced lunch), and students in the major ethnic/racial groups.
