Much Better Than Adequate Progress

"We don't teach to the test here at all. We have a curriculum that is mapped to the state's standards, and we teach almost entirely through theme-based projects. You would be hard pressed to find a worksheet at Centennial Place.

"Teachers here collaborate all the time on lesson plans, on developing thematic units, on organizing field trips and other activities.

"Twice a year I send an engraved invitation to each of my teachers and we meet individually to go over all their students' data and what their plans are to make sure each student gains ground. Students who are behind need to be caught up, and students who have mastered the curriculum need additional enrichment.

"With that kind of careful analysis of the data and thoughtful curriculum, we do not have as our goal making Adequate Yearly Progress. We would never be happy meeting that. AYP is not good enough for us.

"That said, in 2004, our school's data identified an issue with our students with disabilities. Only 50 percent had met state reading standards. We took it to heart. We went through a period where we didn't acknowledge that our special education students weren't doing well, but No Child Left Behind helped us focus.

"We made sure that students with disabilities had access to all the programs and enrichment that other students have and we made sure that classroom teachers and special education teachers had enough time to plan and consult together. We focused the curriculum a little more tightly so that we taught fewer topics in more depth. The result of that effort is that 87 percent of our students with disabilities met or exceeded state math standards in 2005 and 85 percent met state reading standards.

"Georgia's standards are about to be made more rigorous, which means making AYP may be a little more difficult. I am all for that. I think our children are up to the challenge, and our teachers are too."

Frankford Elementary School, Frankford, Del.

Frankford, which is not far from the road Washingtonians take when they drive to the Delaware beaches, has 450 students, 75 percent of whom meet the federal requirements for free and reduced-price meals. The school is roughly evenly divided among white, African American and Latino students. About 12 percent of the students in kindergarten through fifth grade are identified as having disabilities.

In the fifth grade last year, 100 percent of the students met state reading standards (25 percent exceeded them) and 95 percent of all students met state math standards, including 81 percent of students with disabilities (34 percent exceeded them).

Sharon Brittingham, who retired this year as principal after eight years at Frankford and 35 years in education:

"When I first arrived at Frankford, the school was very low achieving. The attitude and the most commonly heard phrase among teachers was, 'You can't make chicken salad out of chicken [waste].' This had a special significance because many of our parents work in the chicken industry.

"I told teachers to either believe all students could learn to high levels of achievement, act like they believed it, or find employment elsewhere. If teachers made negative comments about not believing their students were going to be successful, then I bluntly told them to look elsewhere for a job.