School progress reports out today

Utah is releasing a politically hot report on public schools today — the same day voters might be too preoccupied with the most sizzling election in years to care all that much.

"I worry people will even see it," said Utah School Superintendents Association President Martell Menlove, superintendent of Box Elder School District, of the Election Day timing for the report's release. "It's too bad we don't (already) have it out. I think (the report) generally is good news."

Monday, school districts publicized their AYP or "adequate yearly progress" reports required under the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal law that had angry Utah legislators ready to turn back more than $100 million in federal funding to free Utah schools from its strictures. Federal officials flew in to talk lawmakers out of the move, and sponsoring Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, pulled her just-say-no-to-NCLB bill for further study.

AYP reports show whether Utah schools are meeting state achievement goals on language arts and math. Schools don't make AYP, though, unless they also test an average 95 percent of students and post good attendance or graduation rates. If any group of students — broken down by poverty, race and disability — fails to hit a single mark, the whole school fails to make AYP.

Utah students took their core curriculum tests (CRTs) last spring. But state actions delayed districts from knowing how they did until Oct. 1, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington said.

The state changed the tests' cut scores so they would show students' improvement from year to year, which took a lot of time. Scores also would have been ready by mid-September, but a technological glitch pushed things back even more, Harrington said.

The state gives school districts 30 days to examine test scores, challenge mistakes and release them as AYP reports. That put Monday as districts' big release date.

The state is releasing AYP reports for every school in the state today on its Web site, www.usoe.org.

"We regret . . . the election surely will overshadow it. But it's important for our parents to have information about our schools," Harrington said. "Is it done politically? . . . Not a bit. But the timing is not good in how it's competing for space (in the news)."

The federal government isn't happy about Utah's delay, either, Harrington said. AYP is supposed to be released over the summer so families can put their children in higher-performing schools if they want.

Still, this year's release beats last year's reports by more than a month.

And at least one other state is later than Utah, Harrington said.

Texas probably won't release its AYP reports until February.

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