Lindale ISD Just Short of AYP Standard

LINDALE — The Texas Education Agency released Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) evaluations on Thursday, and despite all Lindale ISD schools meeting the campus standards, the district fell short by the score of just one student. AYP is the federally mandated accountability system required by the No Child Left Behind Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. All public school districts, campuses and the state are evaluated annually for AYP. AYP primarily focuses on the performance of students in grades 3-8 and 10 in the subjects of math and reading/English-language arts on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). For a campus or district to meet AYP, passing percentages must be met by students in each sub-population: All Students, African-American, Hispanic, White, Economically Disadvantaged, Special Education and Limited English Proficient.

At each Lindale ISD campus, the 2011 AYP standards were met for each sub-population. However, the district missed AYP in the performance of Special Education students in math by one student. Lindale ISD will file an appeal for the district. “We do plan to appeal this AYP evaluation,” Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Surratt said, “and we are confident that our AYP district rating will change to meet the standard and reflect the great performance of the students of Lindale ISD.” The federal standards were raised this year, requiring a higher percentage of students pass state assessment tests in math and reading/English-language arts.