Maine Department of Education Releases Annual Report

The Maine Department of Education released its annual report, but the news are far from good.

The results are based on testing from 2011-12 that shows only 245 of the 584 schools met the targets for both reading and math.

"Our schools are not doing worse this year than last year, but you wouldn't know that from the way the federal AYP lists are calculated," Bowen said. "This is why we, like most other states, have requested flexibility to do accountability differently. We expect to hear back shortly, and we think positively, from the U.S. Department of Education."

For 2012-13, only 204 schools out of 584, or 35 percent, are labeled as "Making AYP," an increase from last year's 30 percent of schools, and a result of several schools successfully upping their student performance for two years in a row.

As the federal law now exists, Maine schools are required each year to meet higher testing targets than the previous year in order to make adequate yearly progress. As a result, even as school performance remains the same, or even improves, fewer and fewer schools meet the increased progress requirements.

For the current year, the target for schools with grades 3 through 8 was 75 percent of students proficient in reading and 70 percent proficient in math. At the high school level, 78 percent of students must be proficient in reading and 66 percent in math in order to "make adequate yearly progress," or AYP.

While the number of schools making AYP increased, more schools were added to the list of Continuous Improvement Priority Schools - those not making AYP for two years in a row. That number increased from 203 last year to 217 this year.

"We have instances where schools are making dramatic improvements but can't keep up with the ever-rising federal targets," Bowen said. "With our waiver, we'll still set ambitious goals for schools, but realistic ones based on where they are starting."