The Georgia Department of Education has released the statewide list of schools which have successfully met Adequate Yearly Progress, including the status of Coweta County Schools, under the No Child Left Behind act

Five schools are listed in Needs Improvement status, and will offer transfer to schools making Adequate Yearly Progress on a space-available basis.  Parents interested can call Kristy Childers at 770-254-2810 between July 12 and July 26, at 5 p.m., to be placed on a waiting list for transfers. Priority will be given to lowest-achieving students.

All Coweta County schools achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on academic measures within their overall school populations.  Progress is determined by students overall participation and performance on the Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT).

However, five schools had at least one specific subgroup within the school identified as not meeting AYP. The five schools are Willis Road Elementary School, Arnall Middle School, East Coweta Middle School, Evans Middle School and Smokey Road Middle School.

A school is further identified as “Needs Improvement” if it has not made Adequate Yearly Progress in the same subject for two consecutive years. Coweta County has five schools in Needs Improvement status.  They are Arnall Middle School, East Coweta Middle School, Evans Middle School, Newnan High School and East Coweta High School.

Newnan High and East Coweta High both made AYP in all areas this year.  But schools in Needs Improvement status must make AYP for two consecutive years in order to be removed from Needs Improvement status.

Willis Road Elementary and Smokey Road Middle are not in Needs Improvement, because they both made Adequate Yearly Progress last year.

Schools on the Needs Improvement list offer transfers, as available, to similar schools which did make adequate Yearly Progress.  All five of the Needs Improvement schools are non-Title I schools, so transfers are allowed on the basis of capacity in the transfer school, and on the condition that transportation for the transfer student is provided by the parent or guardian.

Madras Middle School can accept transfer requests from students currently attending Arnall Middle School, East Coweta Middle School, Evans Middle School.  15 spaces are available (5 per grade).

Northgate High School School can accept transfer requests from students currently attending Newnan High School and East Coweta Hugh School.  26 spaces are available (5 each in 9^th and 10^th grades, and 8 students each in 11^th and 12^th grades).

If more students apply for transfer than the maximum available slots, then the school system must give priority to the lowest achieving students, defined as students scoring below 300 on the CRCT, high school students with a GPA below 2.0, or special education students who failed to meet the individual educational goals for the past year.

Students transferring as a result of school choice will not meet Georgia High School Athletics eligibility, and must participate in a hardship hearing for possible eligibility.  High school students transferring to a new school without a corresponding move of their parents are not eligible for varsity competition for one year from the date of entrance, but could play JV during this period.

Space is limited, and requests for transfers from the five “Needs Improvement” schools should be submitted to Kristy Childers at 770-254-2810 by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26.  Telephone calls to other departments will not suffice.  Parents of students on the list will be notified of their children’s placement on Wednesday, July 27.

Overall CRCT scores at the five schools not meeting AYP still met and exceeded the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. AYP, however, is determined by all subgroups within the school meeting the minimum testing requirements.  Of the five schools not making AYP, the subgroup and tested subject not meeting AYP were:

          Willis Road Elementary - Students with Disabilities; CRCT math.

          Arnall Middle School - Students with Disabilities; CRCT reading and language arts.

          East Coweta Middle School - Students with Disabilities; CRCT math.

          Evans Middle School - Students with Disabilities; CRCT math

          Smokey Road Middle School – Students with Disabilities; CRCT math and CRCT reading and language arts.

          Coweta Schools continue to work to address the needs of all students under the criteria of No Child Left Behind.