Hard work pays off for county schools

By Staff
The Franklin County school systems should be commended for their hard work during the 2006-07 school year. Both the Franklin County and Russellville City school systems received a 100 percent grade from Alabama Department of Education's Annual Yearly Progress report, which was released Monday.
Additionally, nearly every individual city and county school met 100 percent of its AYP goals, which range from five to 37 goals per school depending on the composition of its student population.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools must make adequate yearly progress each year on state assessments. Schools must meet state goals in reading, math and additional indicators, such as participation rate in elementary and middle schools and graduation rate in high schools.
If any school fails to make AYP two years in a row in the same area, it enters school improvement status. Once it enters that status, it must make AYP two years in a row to come off the list.
There are currently no schools in this county that qualify for school improvement status, and this is a major accomplishment for every student, teacher and administrator in Franklin County.