Education experts have compared meeting all of the objectives for Adequate Yearly Progress, part of the federal No Child Left Behind Law passed in 2001, to a basketball player shooting free throws.

If that player makes all but one of his free throw attempts, that would be considered a success. However, schools that fail to meet just one of their performance objectives – specifically related to how certain subgroups, such as students on free or reduced lunch, minorities and physically or mentally challenged, have performed in the school and district – or if more than five percent of those students were not tested – do not meet AYP for the year.

This year, 17 of the 39 elementary and middle schools in Oconee, Pickens and Anderson 4 school districts met AYP. Those schools were Code Elementary, Keowee Elementary, Northside Elementary, Tamassee-Salem Elementary, Tamassee-Salem Middle, Walhalla Elementary School and Westminster Elementary in Oconee County; A.R. Lewis Elementary, Ambler Elementary, Central Elementary, Crosswell Elementary, East End Elementary, Forest Acres Elementary, Holly Springs Elementary and Six Mile Elementary in Pickens County and Townville Elementary and Mt. Lebanon Elementary in Anderson School District 4.

Among that group, six Oconee County elementary schools – Code, Keowee, Northside, Tamassee-Salem, Walhalla and Westminster; six Pickens County elementary schools – A.R. Lewis, Ambler, Crosswell, East End, Forest Acres and Holly Springs; and Townville Elementary in Anderson 4 have met AYP for at least five consecutive years.

Each state sets its own definition for academic proficiency under NCLB and independent research has shown that South Carolina’s definition is much more rigorous than other states. A report released earlier this year by the conservative Fordham Institute named South Carolina, Massachusetts and California as the nation’s toughest graders and indicated that students scoring Proficient in many states would score at Basic or Below Basic levels in the Palmetto State.

South Carolina’s targets for AYP, like those of other states, are rising quickly in order to meet the federal law that requires all students – including those who come from low-income families, speak limited English or have learning disabilities – to score “proficient” on state math and English Language Arts tests by 2014.

In an effort to continue meeting all of their AYP objectives (which vary in number according to the school), as well as challenges that are growing increasingly more stringent, Westminster Elementary School Principal Mike McLeod said his school is working through several avenues.

“We’re trying to examine what are the foundational pieces of sustained growth over the past five years, and one is the teacher and staff’s openness to Best Practices and effective instructional design,” McLeod said. “Their collaborative spirit has allowed a lot of communication, and we’re targeting our instruction in those critical areas.”

McLeod said his school is also conducting a data study for individual students, setting specific goals at the beginning of the school year and examining how those goals were achieved at the end of the year.

“It’s what I call taking ownership in their (students) learning, so they’re more connected to their progress,” he said. “They (students) are really participating in their learning today more than they ever have before.”

Parents are being involved more in the academic progress of their children, according to McLeod.

“Parents are beginning to recognize how important they are to the success of their own children and are joining us at home to help their sons and daughters achieve their goals,” McLeod said.

McLeod said his school’s instructional team is also assisting in professional growth plans for teachers while students are becoming more independent thinkers, and technology is linking student learning in “a more meaningful and authentic way.”

As evidence of increasingly stringent standards, South Carolina elementary and middle schools seeking to meet AYP this year were required to have 58.8 percent of their students proficient in English Language Arts, up from 38.2 percent last year. In math, 57.8 percent had to be proficient, up from 36.7 percent last year.

“I applaud the efforts of our teachers, students and parents on reaching the challenging standards required under No Child Left Behind,” said Oconee County District Superintendent Mike Lucas.

High school and district data, set for release with elementary and middle school results Wednesday, has been delayed until next week due to concerns over possible computation errors.