What is AYP and how does it relate to our schools?
In accordance with No Child Left Behind, each state must develop and use an assessment for measuring student progress. The state of New Jersey developed the NJ ASK. This assessment, and all of those created by the various states, is used to determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP). AYP is an individual state’s measure of progress toward the goal of 100 percent of students achieving state academic standards in at least reading/language arts and math. It sets the minimum level of proficiency that the state, its school districts, and schools must achieve each year on annual tests and related academic indicators. (Source: http://answers.ed.gov/) Why can’t parents or teachers see the tests, or see them after our children have taken them? The test development process summarized above is rigorous and highly technical, requiring a significant fiscal investment by the state, and, ultimately, by its citizens. To reduce costs, New Jersey reuses its test items over sever
