Updated: 12:36 p.m. July 22

Cherokee Superintendent Frank Petruzielo has issued a response to Thursday's AYP report. Open the PDF on this page or click here to read it.

Original news post: 4:22 p.m. July 21

 Three Canton-Sixes Patch schools failed to meet annual student progress goals, according to a Georgia Department of Education report released today.

One of them–Cherokee High–received "Needs Improvement" status because it did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress targets for the second year in a row. 

The designation comes with escalating consequences.

"School choice is one of them," Georgia Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza told Canton-Sixes Patch. "Sometimes, schools will choose free tutoring. It depends on the system which one they choose to do first."

From test scores to academic performance, the state considers several factors to determine AYP.

"We have many great schools in the state providing a high-quality education to all students," state School Superintendent John Barge said in a news release. "But the rate at which the academic bar and the graduation rate requirement increased this year prevented more schools from making AYP. We knew we were up against the proverbial wall because this bar increases each year, and it appears that we have begun to hit it.”

Cherokee High Principal Debra Murdock said she is frustrated that the No Child Left Behind Act "continues to hold excellent schools like Cherokee High School in Needs Improvement status when they have proven time and again to be successful."

She said the school has made "outstanding" gains in SAT, End of Course Testing and Advanced Placement scores, but those are not taken into consideration in determining AYP.

"Cherokee High School’s graduation rate did not meet AYP standards because the NCLB law holds students who receive a special education diploma against your graduation rate," Murdock said. "If you take only our true dropouts, which include a high percentage of 'dropout' students who received a GED and are now in college or technical school into consideration, the true graduation rate would be 85 percent, hitting the AYP mark, which would grant AYP status."

In addition to Cherokee, Clayton and Hasty elementary schools fell short of their goals. Together, they were among eight Cherokee County School District campuses that didn't meet AYP.

Cherokee has 36 schools in its system.

District spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby was not immediately available for comment this afternoon.

To see how your school fared, open the PDF on this page.

Stay tuned to Canton-Sixes Patch for updates.