What are schools doing to meet AYP????

Question

I am a High School English teacher in Illinois. I am about to begin my 4th year of teaching and my school has now not met AYP for 2 years straight. I don't know what to do!!!! What are schools doing to meet AYP? Specifically, what text books, computer programs, teaching tools are being used. I am a young teacher, but I KNOW I am a good one. I just wasn't taught to teach to the test in college. Please, schools that have met AYP, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Please don't feel so personally responsible for your school's struggle to meet the ridiculous "AYP".  The entire idea is ridiculous; I live in a town where the schools have managed to make AYP yearly because they started off so low that improvement is virtually inevitable.  However, I teach in a district where AYP is harder to reach, because we began with such a high percentage of successful students.

The point is to teach well, to help students learn how to think, and not to obsess about the d**n government.  At this point, I say, let 'em come in and take over all of the schools that don't meet AYP. No one seems to have a plan for how they'll pay for the wholesale takeover of the public school system when goals are not met in 2014.

Answer 2

Due to all the emphasis on the NCLB act,teacher are forced to teach the test or be fired. This will produce a person capable of test taking skill, rather than a well rounded individual capable of independent thinking or problem solving. This NCLB act was passed by Bush Administration and I pray when he leaves office he takes it with him,

Answer 3

There are a variety of coaching books out there-- I'm sure your Dept of Ed has a list of approved ones somewhere.

Not sure how your state's test compares to ours (i'm in pa), but there really is nothing that will work better than simply teaching to the test. professionally repugnant, i know, but that's what works.