Each year since the implementation of No Child Left Behind legislation, the Iowa Department of Education has released a comprehensive report card detailing the performance of Iowa students on annual standardized assessments. The 2012 State Report Card for No Child Left Behind was released on Sept. 28, providing Jasper County educators, as well as those around the state, data that can be used to tailor academic instruction within schools.

NCLB performance is determined by the percentage of students performing at a proficient level. “Proficiency” as defined by the State of Iowa requires individual students to score above the 41st percentile on annual assessments. Of the five school districts in Jasper County, three met every academic trajectory set forth by No Child Left Behind: Lynnville-Sully, Baxter and Prairie City-Monroe. Students enrolled in Colfax-Mingo’s schools met proficiency standards in nearly every category, only missing NCLB’s benchmarks in middle school reading and resulting in Colfax-Mingo Middle School being designated a School in Need of Assistance. The Newton Community School District, however, did not fare as well as other local school districts in the most recent assessments.

Newton Senior High School’s scores failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress — NCLB’s measure of student improvement — in mathematics, while Basics and Beyond Alternative High School, Berg Middle School and Aurora Heights Elementary School missed requirements in both reading and mathematics. As a result, the Newton Community School District has been designated as a District in Need of Assistance, third year (DINA-3), by the Iowa Department of Education.