Standardized testing shows more schools in Georgia are making progress year to year. Adequate Yearly Progress is the standard indicator of school performance. This year, seventy nine percent of public schools in Georgia made AYP-- that’s a ten percent jump from this time last year.

The State Department of Education partly attributes the leap to better math scores on standardized tests.

“We saw a lot of improvement in CRCT scores in mathematics, especially in elementary and middle schools,” said spokesperson Dana Tofig, “and we think that’s what played into more schools making AYP this year.”

Math is a subject many schools struggle with across the state, including Radloff Middle School in Gwinnett County north of Atlanta. It’s had a needs improvement status for the past 3 years. But this year it shed that label. Principal Patty Hietmuller shares how.

“We provided 40 minutes of extra math instruction everyday," said Hietmuller. She also touts goal setting as key to their success.

Schools that under perform in any given for two years in a row get a needs improvement status. Then they have to work with the state to make a plan to get better. This year, 334 schools are on the needs improvement list; that’s 6 fewer than last year.

Parents at those schools must be notified so they can choose whether to send their children to a different school.

Corrections: Updated article to reflect correct AYP designation. It stands for Adequate Yearly Progress, not Annual Yearly Progress.

Tags: CRCT, Department of Education, math, Annual Yearly Progress, Patty Heitmuller, Radloff Middle School, needs improvement, Dana Tofig