Muskegon Heights Makes Department Of Education-Defined Adequate Yearly Progress

Andrew Trzaska | June 30, 2011

A special Muskegon Heights school board meeting held Thursday led to the passage of the district’s 2011-2012 budget, but also included the announcement of the district’s Education Report Card from the Department of Education.

In the previous year, Muskegon Heights elementary and middle school students achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

This means the district is meeting the U.S. Department of Education’s  guidelines for growing quality of education in grades 3-8, as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Public school districts are required to test their students yearly in math and reading from 3rd grade through 12th grade, and the results are assigned both a pass/fail-type AYP rating, as well as a letter grade on the tests.

Combined, all elementary schools achieved AYP in both math and reading, with Edgewood elementary earning an overall B and Loftis and Martin Luther King schools earning each earning an overall C grade.

This improves on last year, when all three schools earned overall C grades.

Muskegon Heights Middle School achieved AYP in both subjects as well, achieving a C grade.

Muskegon Heights High School, which includes Adult Education, did not meet AYP in either subject.

The high school did receive what is referred to as “Safe Harbor” in reading, meaning that even though AYP was not met this year, the district did show improvement in the subject.

Discussion at Thursday’s meeting was upbeat, as these improvements were regarded as a sign of progress, as the district overall has not made AYP in many years.

Board vice president Ronald Jenkins stated that the district’s leadership was influential in the improvements:

“It goes to show what the administration has done for this district.”