Nationally, school districts are required to provide their communities with a report card of student progress in meeting the state standards. These standards include assessment in reading, mathematics, science, and writing, as well as attendance and teacher qualifications.

The Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) is used to determine adequate yearly progress (AYP) for elementary school students in grades 3 through 6 and middle school students in grades 7 and 8. The Maine High School Assessment (MHSA), a part of which is the SAT, is used to determine AYP for eleventh grade students. Adequate yearly progress is defined as the percentage of students who have met or exceeded the standards set by the state. If any individual school does not have the required number of students who have met or exceeded the standard, either as a whole group or sub-group, the school is then designated as in need of improvement. The only schools who face required improvement are those who receive Title I funds; however, the designation of ‘in need of improvement’ is given to all schools.

MSAD #57 has been using a district and school improvement process to identify areas in need of improvement and to establish goals and objectives to address both short-term and long-term improvement. The MEA and MHSA show student performance at one point in time. When assessing an individual student’s progress, classroom performance throughout the year is an appropriate measure.