Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act

Publication Date: August 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Education

Type:

Abstract:

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), authorizes financial aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children and youth at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. Over the last several years, the accountability provisions of this program have been increasingly focused on achievement and other outcomes for participating pupils and schools. Since 1994, and particularly under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA), a key concept embodied in these requirements is that of "adequate yearly progress (AYP)" for schools, LEAs, and states. AYP is defined primarily on the basis of aggregate scores of various groups of pupils on state assessments of academic achievement. The primary purpose of AYP requirements is to serve as the basis for identifying schools and LEAs where performance is unsatisfactory, so that inadequacies may be addressed first through provision of increased support and, ultimately, a variety of "corrective actions."

Under the NCLBA, the Title I-A requirements for state-developed standards of AYP were substantially expanded in scope and specificity. Under the NCLBA, AYP calculations must be disaggregated -- i.e., determined separately and specifically for not only all pupils but also for several demographic groups of pupils within each school, LEA, and state. In addition, while AYP standards had to be applied previously only to pupils, schools, and LEAs participating in Title I-A, AYP standards under the NCLBA must be applied to all public schools, LEAs, and to states overall, if a state chooses to receive Title I-A grants. However, corrective actions for failing to meet AYP standards need be applied only to schools and LEAs participating in Title I-A. Another major break with the past is that state AYP standards must now incorporate concrete movement toward meeting an ultimate goal of all pupils reaching a proficient or advanced level of achievement within 12 years.

The overall percentage of public schools identified as failing to make AYP for one or more years based on test scores in 2004-2005 was approximately 26% of all public schools. The percentage of schools for individual states varied from 2% to 66%. Approximately 14% of Title I-A participating schools were in the "needs improvement" status (i.e., they had failed to meet AYP standards for two or more consecutive years) based on AYP determinations for 2004-2005 and preceding school years.

The AYP provisions of the NCLBA are challenging and complex, and they have generated substantial interest and debate. Debates regarding the NCLBA provisions on AYP have focused on the provision for an ultimate goal, use of confidence intervals and data-averaging, population diversity effects, minimum pupil group size (n), separate focus on specific pupil groups, number of schools identified and state variations therein, the 95% participation rule, state variations in assessments and proficiency standards, and timing. This report will be updated to reflect major new policy developments or available information.