All city schools, system, make AYP

In fact, all four city schools and the system made AYP (adequate yearly progress) for the second consecutive year.

According to McCoy, the city system was probably AYP when the first CRCT results came in, but it definitely was once the re-takes were counted.
The problem for Commerce has always been the special needs classes in the middle school, and McCoy credited principal Chuck Bell with turning things around.

“He’s done a great job of getting that in focus,” the superintendent said.

Three third graders retook the CRCT, and all of them passed on the second try, according to McCoy. At the middle school, 23 took part or all of the tests over again.

“I think we needed eight to pass and we passed something like 17 out of that,” McCoy said. “We had some taking it in math, some in language arts and some taking both.”

McCoy said the middle school’s progress is all the more impressive because the criteria for meeting AYP keep getting tougher.
“With the moving target we have, that’s quite a feat for the teachers,” he said. “They continue to increase the cut score and it will be higher next year, so that will be another hurdle.”

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, in the year 2014 every child - regardless of development level or ability to speak English - is expected to make adequate yearly progress every year.