LINDEN &045;Linden elementary can remove itself from the state school improvement list after this year, if students meet the state goals associated with the Stanford Achievement Test for the second year in a row.

Linden School System Superintendent Dr. Walter Davis said the school was put on the state school improvement list after failing to meet testing goals two years ago. He said the goals are set for schools statewide to show that they are making Annual Yearly Progress.

School improvement and Annual Yearly Progress are all tied into No Child Left Behind. Each state must establish academic achievement goals by setting standards in core subjects and measuring progress though standardized tests. Schools must meet the goals to show that students are all receiving the levels of education required or they are identified as schools needing improvement.

Davis said the school only missed goals in math that year and it exceeded goals in all subjects last year. He said he expects the school to exceed goals again this year, which will remove it from school improvement.

No Child Left Behind allows for such random dips in test results as long as they are not a repeated occurrence, hence the probation like two-year school improvement period. Schools that fail to demonstrate adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years are identified as needing improvement and are subject to immediate intervention. This comes in the form of technical assistance and then more serious corrective actions if improvement in Annual Yearly Progress does not occur.

Davis said if the current testing is any indication the school should be removed from school improvement following the test results form the Stanford Achievement Test.