Adequate Yearly Progress
In addition to California’s accountability system, which measures student
achievement using the API, schools must also meet requirements set by the
federal education law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This law requires
all schools to meet a different goal: Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
We met 11 out of 22 criteria for yearly progress. Because we fell short in 11
areas, we did not make AYP. Our school is also on the federal watchlist known as
Program Improvement (PI). See the next page for background on this matter
and an explanation of the consequences.

To meet AYP, high schools must meet four criteria. First, a certain percentage of
students must score at or above Proficient levels on the California High School
Exit Exam (CAHSEE): 33.4 percent on the English/language arts test and 32.2
percent on the math test. All significant ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups of
students also must meet these goals. Second, the schools must achieve an API of at least 620 or increase their API by one point from the prior year. Third, 95
percent of tenth grade students must take the CAHSEE. Fourth, the graduation
rate for the class of 2007 must be higher than 83 percent (or satisfy alternate
improvement criteria).

If even one subgroup of students fails to meet just one of the criteria, the school
fails to meet AYP. While all schools must report their progress toward meeting
AYP, only schools that receive federal funding to help economically
disadvantaged students are actually penalized if they fail to meet AYP goals.
Schools that do not make AYP for two or more years in a row in the same
subject enter Program Improvement (PI). They must offer students transfers to other schools in the district and, in
their second year in PI, tutoring services as we