According to a press release issued by Jean Cavalier, director of public relations for Fayette County Schools, 15 of the county’s 19 public schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) in regard to West Virginia’s standards of learning.

New River Elementary was excluded from needing to make AYP in its first year of operation. All other schools, however, were expected to meet the following percentages of students showing mastery scores on the tests:

* Participation in the reading and math tests must be at least 95 percent.

* Attendance for elementary and middle school students must be at least 90 percent.

* Graduation rate for high school students must be at least 80 percent.

These assessment criteria had to be met by the total student group as well as subgroups such as special education and economically disadvantaged teens.

All of Fayette County’s schools met AYP for participation and attendance.

Fayetteville and Oak Hill high schools made AYP for 2009-2010 after not doing so last year. Mount Hope High School, with 74 percent graduation rate, did not make AYP.

Mount Hope Elementary, Rosedale Elementary, Collins Middle School, and Mount Hope High School did not meet standards for percentage of students showing mastery on the achievement tests. The two elementary schools and Mount Hope High School were low in math and Collins Middle School’s test scores were low in reading and language arts.

According to the press release, new mathematics textbooks have been purchased county-wide for kindergarten through high school. These new instructional materials are hoped to help students achieve a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts that are rooted in real world problems and applications.

Fayette County middle schools will also implement an Adolescent Instructional Model that focuses on writing, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Mount Hope High School has been awarded a school improvement grant to help overcome potential barriers that prevent students from graduating. Added to the school staff are a curriculum coach, an additional guidance counselor, and a home-school coordinator. All high schools are continuing to work with national drop-out prevention specialist Steven Edwards, Ph.D.

The Fayette County Board of Education reminds citizens that the rigor of the WESTEST 2 achievement was intensified from previous years, and that the rigor of the curriculum has also been increased to match the national standard. Fayette County will use the data from WESTEST 2 to analyze students’ academic strengths and weaknesses and, in turn, continue to develop plans to address areas of concern.