Summer re-tests help schools’ rankings

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

More Georgia public schools met federal testing goals this year after factoring summer school scores into their results, according to data released Thursday.

In all, 86 percent of the state’s 2,172 schools made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP), a critical benchmark of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Scores rose 7 points over reports released in the summer, and they beat last year’s final tally of 80 percent.

This is the second year that schools can count summer retest scores toward overall results. The U.S. Department of Education changed its rules last year to allow this. It is significant because students who missed the mark the first time typically score higher the second time, increasing the likelihood of schools meeting testing goals.

Officials said 150 schools met testing goals this year in the final report that initially did not make it in July. Here's a list of the metro schools that improved sufficiently on the summer retests to make AYP.

The strongest showings continue to come at the elementary and middle school levels, although the state finally broke through the halfway point with its high schools. Last year and earlier this year, less than half of Georgia’s high schools met the required standard.

But the new results show that 56 percent of the state’s 442 high schools made AYP.