With preliminary results showing that the Newton County School system and 11 of its schools failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress, many wonder, what does that mean for the school system going forward?

Since the 2010-11 school year was the second consecutive year that the system failed AYP, typically that would mean a system would need to develop a system improvement plan that includes potentially costly professional development criteria. However, last year, when Superintendent Gary Mathews was hired, a new professional development plan was implemented.

"We started a new plan of professional development last school year after recognizing that as many as 19 schools would not make AYP if we did not begin: using research-based instructional strategies in classrooms; building the background knowledge of students through vocabulary development; leveraging technology in classroom lessons to better engage students in learning, and establishing professional learning communities wherein teachers work in teams to plan instruction and common assessments so that adjustments in teaching can take place based on results," said Mathews.

It's important to note, that the failure of the system is directly linked to the failure of the schools. Many schools locally failed because of the performance of subgroups, which is not unusual in Newton County. The federal government requires that, as part of No Child Left Behind, school systems track students in the following subgroups: English language learners (ELL), students with disabilities, black students and economically challenged students. There are also second indicators, such as graduation rate and attendance, that are charted as well.

For each individual school, failing to meet AYP means different things depending on how many consecutive years the school has failed. A school failing for two years in a row is put on the dreaded Needs Improvement list. If the school receives Title I funds - which many Newton County schools do - they face sanctions that can increase over time. The school must also offer school choice, and provide transportation to the chosen school. Those costs are taken from Title I money, which means that's less funding the school receives.

After five years in a row, the school faces corrective action and after seven the school must be restructured, which could include being taken over by the state, a conversion into a charter school or management by a private company.

Just as it takes two consecutive failing years to be placed on the Needs Improvement list, it takes two consecutive passing years to be taken off the list.

"As I've suggested before, there is no silver bullet or magic wand to wave when it comes to increasing the achievement of our 19,100 students," said Mathews. "Only through a well trained and caring teacher do kids stand the best chance of academic success. Knowing what works and being able to execute it in a classroom matters a great deal. That's our focus and a variable that we can control in schools.

"What would help us, of course, is a parent who is involved in his or her child's education and who demands of that child a respect for teaching and learning. That means a respect for teachers and an understanding that the number one job of a student is to learn while in school. Parents must be real partners with teachers such that their children see it, believe it, and respect it. Having said that, such an out-of-school variable is not something that school personnel control ultimately."

Scores from retests should be available in late August or early September and only then will the final AYP results be available for each school. Some may meet AYP requirements while others will continue to struggle to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind.