LANSING -- About 93 percent of Michigan's public elementary and middle schools made adequate progress toward meeting requirements of No Child Left Behind laws this year, state education officials said Friday.
That's up slightly from the nearly 92 percent that met the mark in 2006.
The latest information is contained in Michigan's annual school report cards released by the state Department of Education. Scores for high schools are expected to be released this fall.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all students are to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Public schools must periodically test students to gauge their success, a measure called adequate yearly progress.
The main way Michigan measures progress is through standardized tests such as the Michigan Educational Assessment Program and the Michigan Merit Exam. States are given some flexibility on setting their own standards for what constitutes adequate yearly progress, and there dozens of ways for schools to miss the mark.
One of the most common ways for schools to fail is poor performance by one of several subgroups, such as special education students or members of a racial or ethnic group.
Schools that don't make adequate progress for two straight years wind up on a sanctions list. The sanctions get tougher every year.
Schools that repeatedly miss standards must allow their students to transfer to better-performing schools. Failing for several straight years could lead to a school restructuring of staff and curriculum.
Schools that make adequate progress for two consecutive years come off the sanctions list.