All of Fayette’s 27 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress in the federal No Child Left Behind program, according to data released Tuesday by the Department of Education.

Fayette is one of only nine school systems in the state that have met the goals for the federally-mandated program for at least three years.

The news was not quite so uplifting in neighboring Coweta County, where three schools — Arnall Middle, East Coweta High School and Evans Middle School — did not meet the guidelines and caused the system to receive a status designation of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress.

The news was even more dismal in Clayton County, where 33 percent of the system’s 57 schools did not meet the guidelines.

For a school to meet the standards, 95 percent of the students must participate in the assessments the state has implemented. The four indicators are Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) math scores, CRCT reading and English language arts and Georgia High School Graduation test scores in math and English language arts.

The Adequate Yearly Progress status is part of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind education program that was passed in 2001.

The Department of Education Web site says the law requires all states to establish state academic standards and a state testing system that meet federal requirements. Georgia received final approval of its state accountability plan from the U.S. Department of Education on May 19, 2003, and revisions to the plan were approved by the federal government on June 7, 2004.

The Web site also states that Under No Child Left Behind, children who attend public schools that have not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two or more consecutive years and have been designated for Needs Improvement have the option of moving to a higher performing public school.

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