AYP FAQs

Many of us have heard about the need to make AYP in our inservice and staff meetings recently. A “sense of urgency” is indeed the issue. As a group of professionals, we always want our students to achieve, and to gain the life skills we know they need. Making AYP and achieving those magic numbers in reading and math has never been as important as it is right now. We certainly are focusing on new strategies to help each of our students and our district as a whole to achieve AYP.

As we move toward that goal, however, teachers have had many questions of us. Below are the most frequently asked questions and answers.

Has my tenure in this district been negated because Leavenworth is “on improvement”?

Not in any way, shape, or form. K.S.A. 72-5436 et.seq., known as the due process law, has not been repealed, nor has any other statute been passed that negates your due process rights.

If I am tenured in Leavenworth, and if we don’t make AYP in 2010, am I in danger of losing my job?

You will not lose your job simply because your building or our district does not make AYP. Our evaluation process, the professional appraisal system, which is part of the negotiated agreement by reference, requires administration to make efforts to help you improve in areas previously specified. You would have to have been placed on the professional assistance track of this system. The entire plan is posted on the district’s intranet. Everything you read regarding the professional appraisal system is part of the negotiated agreement. K.S.A. 72-5436 requires that you be given “due process” before your contract is non-renewed or terminated. This process requires administration to document your shortcomings and place that information in your personnel file. You are to be notified of any information such as this, and given an opportunity to respond. Further, before a teacher’s contract is actually non-renewed, administration must show that efforts to aid in improvement have been resisted, or that the teacher has failed to achieve the measures of improvement clearly set forth. The only exception to this is if a licensed employee is convicted of a felony.

Will our district lose its accreditation if we don’t make AYP?

So far, districts that have not made AYP, even those who are in “worse shape” than Leavenworth, have not lost their accreditation.

Will the state take over our district if we continue to not make AYP?

While the state technically has the right to do so, again, so far, districts that have not made AYP have not been “taken over.” They continue to function under their own governance, with curriculum support from KSDE. Given the financial situation in the state, it’s hard to imagine that KSDE would choose to use their very limited resources to literally “take over” a school district. They are suffering from the same funding and staffing issues as we are.

Even if “the state” should “take us over,” they would be required to follow the same laws that our administration is required to follow. In other words, the due process law would be in full effect.

Are there other districts in our situation?

Yes. According to an August, 2008 report made by the Kansas State Department of Education, there were 19 Title 1 districts on improvement for 08-09. Four districts on this list were in their 5^th year of being “on improvement” during the 08-09 school year. Leavenworth was in its second year of being “on improvement” last year. The 09-10 year is our third year.

What kinds of sanctions have been imposed on districts that are in worse shape than Leavenworth, and/or have been on improvement longer than Leavenworth?

While there is certainly a good deal of supervision and guidance provided by KSDE and Cross & Joftus, the consulting company assisting KSDE, we’re finding that these districts are receiving much needed support, to include additional funds in some cases. To date, no district in Kansas has been sanctioned for not making AYP.

I need more information about Cross and Joftus. Who are they, and what do they do?

Cross and Joftus is an organization that has been hired by KSDE to assist them in assisting school districts that have not made AYP. This same company is working with all districts in Kansas that are on improvement. Below is some information from their website:

Cross & Joftus works with states, foundations, school districts, and nonprofit organizations to meet their education goals. We help our clients build internal capacity so they can quickly find solutions to problems and do what they do better. Just as we encourage our clients to always reevaluate their products and services to ensure quality, we believe in continually refining our approach to client support.

If you have any other questions you feel should be addressed here, please e-mail us and we will make every effort to find an answer and get it posted.