The report also found that 31.4 percent (11 of 35) of all schools met all of their Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs). AMOs have replaced the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures previously required by the U.S. Department of Education. Under AMOs, proficiency targets are set for each student subgroup. Before AMOs were allowed, there was only one proficiency target for all student subgroups (proficiency subgroup targets are availableonline at www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/reporting/abc/2011-12).
The ABCs report is based on several measures of performance.These include reading and mathematics end-of-grade tests in grades three through eight; science tests in grades five and eight; and end-of-course tests in English I, Algebra I and Biology. Other measures include the cohort graduation rate and student performance on alternate assessments for certain students with disabilities.
This is the 16th and final year of the ABCs program. For the fourth consecutive year, the state’s budget did not include funding for the ABCs incentive awards for qualifying educators whose schools met or exceeded its growth goals. These awards were an integral part of the program until 2009.
A total of 2,482 public schools and public charter schools were assigned a status in the ABCs of Public Education. Complete results for all of these schools are available online at http://abcs.ncpublicschools.org/abcs. A background packet providing an overview of the ABCs accountability programand changes to the program in 2011-12 also is available at this location.
Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, North Carolina public schools will operate under a new accountability model with first-year results reported in fall 2013. Also beginning with the 2012-13 school year, all public school teachers will be using the state’s new Standard Course of Study, which includes Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics. The state’s assessment program will include formative assessments along with end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments. Teachers will use the formative assessments to ensure students are grasping the concepts being taught in the classroom. These assessments, which are not graded or part of the state’s accountability program, are more of a pulse check on student proficiency. For more informationon the READY initiative, please visit www.ncpublicschools.org/ready.
