Ayp building level accountability profiles: Missouri public schools 2004-2005

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide data to identify Missouri Public School Building variables that impact adequate yearly progress (AYP) status. Data were collected from Missouri DESE for the 2004-2005 school year. The study design used descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and discriminate analysis (DA) to provide school personnel with information about factors that discriminate between school buildings that made AYP and those that did not. School building variables including school size, class size, student teacher ratio, attendance rate, dropout rate, and discipline reports were found to make significant differences in both the ANOVA and the DA. Student variables including free/reduced lunch, white, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian and level not determined in both CA and math were not found to discriminate between schools that made AYP and those that did not. Interestingly, all of the student variables except Hispanic were found to be significantly different using the ANOVA. Results of this study show that school building variables do make a difference in student achievement and that school personnel need to work with all students to improve achievement in this era of accountability for public schools. School districts have control over school building variables and need to find ways to either make schools smaller or seem smaller, make classes smaller, increase attendance, lower the dropout rate and lower the number of discipline reports.