The 2001 federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act  is based on the ambitious goal that ALL children will be proficient in reading and math by 2014.  Across the United States, a gap in academic achievement exists among groups of students and their learning.

Each school and district is assessed to determine if it has achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in Communication Arts and Math. In addition, each of the following student groups are monitored for AYP, unless there are 30 or fewer students in the group:

• All students
• Asian/Pacific Islander
• Black
• Hispanic
• American Indian
• White
• Other/Non-Response
• Students receiving Free/Reduced lunch
• Students receiving an Individualized Education Program (Special Education)
• Students with Limited English Proficiency

One way to measure progress is to compare academic performance of the highest and lowest performing student groups for that measure. The graphs indicate the difference between the highest and lowest performance groups for Communication Arts and Mathematics. While Rockwood students, as a whole, perform high on state tests, the challenge in reducing the achievement gap is to ensure all Rockwood students realize their potential.

Updated: January 3, 2012