BCHS fails to make AYP

Posted by
Staff Writer
in News
Tuesday, July 20. 2010
Comments (10)
The graduation rate led to Banks County High School failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The other schools in the system met AYP, according to the state report released on Monday.

“We made AYP in every area at the high school except the graduation rate,” superintendent Chris Erwin said. “We were 74.6 percent and needed to be 80 percent. We are hoping that our summer graduates will make us reach the 80 percent mark. The summer graduates will be averaged in this fall, as they have done in the past.”

The results and participation from the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) and the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), along with a second indicator – such as school attendance or graduation rate — are used to determine a school’s AYP status. All students at a school — as well as any qualifying subgroup of students — must meet goals in all three categories in order to make AYP, as required by the by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The Georgia Department of Education said the percentage of high schools making AYP continues to lag behind. This year, just over 33 percent of the state’s high schools made AYP — compared to 19 percent in 2009 with its initial results.
Defined tags for this entry: ,
Related entries by tags:
Erwin named as finalist for Superintendent of the Year
Fabulous Finds Consignment to locate at The Shoppes at Banks Crossing
Holiday Festival coming up this weekend
Gosnell appointed to Baldwin water plant position
DOT projects unveiled: Bridge repairs, landscaping among plans
Annexation from Lula car dealer withdrawn
Isakson representatives to be in Banks County Aug. 25
Joe Gailey named recreation director
Election results
BOC interviews top three candidates for recreation director
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
#1 Righton on 07/21/10 at 01:18 PM [Reply]
I guess this information lays to rest the earlier discussion concerning budget issues, the quality of government schools & the performance of the teachers in those schools.
And all Erwin can do is to make excuses in the HOPE of reaching a pitiful 80%. That's setting the bar high! (LOL)
#2 AYP is nonsense anyway on 07/21/10 at 01:57 PM [Reply]
1.I'm not sure that I agree that a high school system can be accurately judged by its graduation rate. If a child chooses to drop out, is it the school's fault? What could it have done differently? If a child refuses to take part in his or her studies why do we blame teachers and schools? I'm more inclined to think it's more on the parents or on the lazy student.

2. BCHS shouldn't be looked on as inferior to the other schools in the system for this. All schools have requirements concerning test scores. Only the high-school has a requirement of a completion rate. BCHS made AYP in all tests just as BCMS,BCES, and BCPS did.

3. AYP need to go anyway. All it does is water down standards and makes the focus of all schools to push students through instead of holding them to high standards.
#3 Troll alert on 07/21/10 at 02:13 PM [Reply]
Please ignore Righton. He is what forums and chat rooms call a "troll". That is, he's a miserable little creature that has nothing better to do than to cut down other people or make outrageous statements to try to rile people up. All this to try to make himself sound more important or more intelligent that what he really is. Please ignore. I'm sorry I gave him even enough attention as to type this.
#3.1 Alert my rear! on 07/23/10 at 10:45 PM [Reply]
My thousand dollars in taxes charged by Banks County says differently! Me with no children attending must still pay for this sub-standard system and it's over paid crying teachers. Troll, indeed, you must be one of those over paid office workers!
#3.2 Righton on 07/27/10 at 12:23 PM [Reply]
Poster "Troll alert" must be a liberal. Liberals ALWAYS resort to lies or name calling when they can't debate with facts. Their lives are ruled by emotion, not by logic. What a pitiful way to stumble through life, clueless AND ignorant.
If the graduation rate is such an insignificant measure of the success (or lack thereof) of a public school, why:
1 - Does Erwin even address it?
2 - Is it included as a metric?
3 - Are so many people ready to toss the parents under the government school bus?

I am willing to bet that all of those posting in defense of the government schools or downplaying the significance of this failure...would be falling over each other to claim the credit if the graduation rate were stellar.
#4 Anonymous on 07/24/10 at 05:30 PM [Reply]
Wow, I'm not sure what the fuss is. As the article pointed out, the system made it in everything except the graduation rate. That means that each school performed well enough on each of its tests to qualify. So how does this make Banks "sub-standard"? If a person knocks a system exclusively for its graduation rate, which, as the poster has already said, really is more an indicator of the students home life, that is that's own person's ignorance. There is nothing "sub-standard" about Banks County Schools.
#5 Educate yourself before becoming judgemental on 07/25/10 at 01:48 PM [Reply]
Here's a great article written in the Gainesville Times about AYP and how it doesn't accurately measure a school's performance. Above all things, don't read the headline of this BCN article and jump to conclusions without first educating yourself. Follow the link:
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/35766/
#5.1 no excuses on 07/26/10 at 10:00 PM [Reply]
BCHS is being compared with all HS in Ga. So why no concern? Grad. rate is important. If we think its all the parents, are we saying other counties (people) are better than ours. Banks Co. neighbors are as good as any. The school system is accountable.
#6 The bar it too high........ on 07/27/10 at 11:37 AM [Reply]
Notice the article pointed out that only 33% of high schools made AYP. That is 1 of 3 high schools made it. This to me indicates that the expectations of AYP are unreasonably high. If you criticize BCHS for this, you are in essence criticizing most high schools in the entire state. I would understand criticism if most high schools in the state made AYP, but, as the article pointed out in the last sentence, most did not. Also, as Mr. Erwin pointed out, summer school may have gotten BCHS up to 80% in which case this is a non-issue.
#7 What's wrong? on 08/02/10 at 02:21 PM [Reply]
Greenville SC superintendant earns $220,000 per year for a school system with 69,000 students. Banks County super earns $175,00 for a school system with 2400?? and this is just one school comparison and one administrator position!! What the hell is wrong? Banks County should be one of the best schools in the Southeast having this much salary responsibility!!! For the children my ass, let's rephrase future rate increases to state the obvious "it's for the administrators!!
Add Comment
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

 
   
 
Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.
 

Recent Stories

Lawrenceville man charged in fatal accident
Tuesday, September 7 2010
Music in Memphis: Beale Street, Sun Studios, Graceland among highlights
Tuesday, September 7 2010
Hoyt McGinnis
Monday, September 6 2010
Erwin named as finalist for Superintendent of the Year
Monday, September 6 2010
Friday Night Lights: September 3, 2010
Friday, September 3 2010
facebook-website
Copyright © 2008-2009 MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.