No Child Left Behind Act
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“The Department of Education recognizes that schools must set high expectations and be held accountable to meet them regardless of federal legislation,” said Nicholas Donohue, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education. “New Hampshire has a history of promoting high standards for all students. Whether or not a school is designated as in need of improvement, all children need high quality instruction.”

The following schools have been preliminarily identified as Schools in Need of Improvement:

The list of schools in need of improvement in mathematics or English/language arts is preliminary. Schools and districts have 30 days to verify the accuracy of their data and appeal on technical and validity issues. A final designation will be made at the end of the 30 days.

“There are great variations between the schools that are identified as in need of improvement,” added Donohue. “Some may have missed making Adequate Yearly Progress in a single subgroup.” (Subgroups include: all students; American Indian/Alaskan Native; Asian/Pacific Islander; Hispanic; Black; White; Limited English Proficient; Special Education and Free/Reduced Lunch).

“The implications of becoming a school in need of improvement are diverse, and are dependent upon various factors, including whether or not a school is a Title 1 school that receives federal support,” said Lorraine Patusky, Office of Accountability. “Actions that may be required include choice, supplemental services and an improvement plan. Schools are held accountable for the areas in which they need to improve and then move forward in their efforts to improve student achievement at all levels.”

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) focuses in large part on the performance and participation of all students on the annual New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program (NHEIAP). In addition, 95% of all students and all subgroups must participate in the statewide assessment program, and the school or district must meet the elementary or secondary “other indicator” in order to make AYP. (The “other indicator” for elementary/middle schools is attendance; the “other indicator” for high schools is graduation rate).

“The State of New Hampshire’s definition of AYP is unique to New Hampshire and based on our long history of developing student standards,” continued Patusky. “AYP is defined independently for each state.”

The Department has put in place statistical features - confidence intervals - to ensure that the data being used to designate schools as making or not making Adequate Yearly Progress is valid and reliable. With limited resources available, this allows the State to make sure that they are directing the resources where they are most needed.

“The focus is on giving districts the opportunity to improve on their own with assistance and resources made available to them through the Department of Education,” said Donohue. “The best place to improve schools is at the local level. Educational improvement and accountability are the goals we are continually striving for in every school and district throughout the state.”

The Department of Education this summer worked with schools that were potentially going to be schools in need of improvement to help them begin proactively working to develop research-based, effective strategies to improve learning for all students to be incorporated into a school improvement plan. The Department plans similar efforts in the future to try to help schools exceed the expectations embedded in our single state accountability framework.

The Department of Education has in place a number of programs designed to continuously improve education in New Hampshire. The programs support communities' efforts to improve student achievement and demonstrate accountability. For more information please contact Lori Kincaid, Public Information Officer at 271-6646 or lkincaid@ed.state.nh.us.