- 88 percent, or 73 schools, made AYP.� This is up from 75 percent

in 2002-2003.

- All elementary schools made AYP.

- 10 schools that did not make AYP in 2002-2003 met the AYP goals in

2003-2004.

- Three schools (Love T. Nolan, Palmetto and Evoline C. West elementary

schools) previously on the Needs Improvement list have now been removed from

that category.

- With the exception of one alternative school, all schools met the

95% participation rate.� Last year, nine schools failed to meet this criterion.

- One school, Conley Hills Elementary, was named by the Georgia Department

of Education as an Outstanding Achievement School based on dramatic improvement

in the percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards on the CRCT.� Conley

Hills registered a 32 percent gain.

"There is much to celebrate in this year's AYP report," says

Superintendent Michael Vanairsdale.� "I am particularly pleased with

our elementary schools and with the tremendous gains we have made with our

special education students.� We must meet the needs of all students, and

this is validation that we are heading in the right direction."

Ten Fulton County schools � seven middle and three high � did not make AYP,

as defined by the state.� This number is down from 20 schools that did not

meet the AYP targets in 2002-2003.� In reviewing the data, four of these

seven middle schools actually met the state's Annual Measurable Objective.� This

means that the school as a whole and all identified subgroups met or exceeded

the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on state assessments

in Reading/Language Arts and Math.�

However, Fulton's middle schools this year, like the majority of the

state, saw declines in the Georgia Middle Grades Writing Assessment (MGWA).� In

Fulton, the MGWA is used as an Additional Indicator to determine AYP.� Had

it not been for this testing anomaly with the MGWA, Bear Creek, Camp Creek,

McNair, and Woodland middle schools would have met AYP.�

"It is important for parents to understand the reasons why a school

may not have made AYP," says Vanairsdale.� "It is not an indication

of overall performance, but shows specific areas that need improvement."

Under state and federal guidelines, schools that go two or more years in

a row without making AYP in the same subject area are identified as a Needs

Improvement school. These schools must provide parents the opportunity to

transfer their child to a school that is not in Needs Improvement status.� In

order to come off the Needs Improvement list schools must make AYP for two

consecutive years.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is one of the cornerstones of the federal

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.� It is a measure of year-to-year student

achievement on statewide assessments.�

To meet AYP, each school and system must meet the following criteria:

- 95% Participation: Each school, as a whole, and all student groups

with at least 40 members* must have a participation rate of 95% or above

on selected state assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Math.� All Fulton

schools, with the exception of the two alternative schools, met this criteria.

- Annual Measurable Objective: Each school, as a whole, and each student

subgroup with at least 40 members* must meet or exceed the State's Annual

Measurable Objective (AMO) regarding the percentage of students scoring proficient

or advanced on State assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Math.� All

but seven of Fulton's 83 schools met this criterion.

-Additional Indicator: Each school must meet the standard or show progress

on an additional indicator.� Fulton uses attendance as the additional indicator

at the elementary level, the MGWA at the middle school level and graduation

rate at the high school level.� All elementary schools met the additional

indicator.� Five middle schools did not meet goals on the MGWA and three

high schools did not meet the graduation rate goals.

In order to be counted as part of AYP, a school must have at least 40 students

in a subgroup. The subgroups identified by NCLB are

- Race (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black,

Hispanic, Multiracial, White)

- Disability

- Limited English Speaking

- Socioeconomic status