MARIETTA - Cobb schools fell far short of Strategic Plan targets for making Adequate Yearly Progress.

Board members will compare AYP results and testing data with Strategic Plan targets when they meet today, although results of perhaps the most important test - the SAT - are not out yet.

While Deputy Superintendent Dr. Steven Constantino and his staff set the targets for the number of schools making AYP, as well as student achievement on state and national tests, the board determines how Strategic Plan benchmarks will coincide with those targets.

For the 2009-10 school year, the district had established a goal of 92 percent of its high schools making AYP, but only 63 percent of the high schools actually achieved the AYP distinction. A goal of 100 percent of schools making AYP was set at the middle school level, but only 84 percent met that benchmark. The district came closer to its goal at the elementary level, with 94 percent of its elementary schools making AYP. The goal was 98 percent. For the districts' alternative and special schools, the goal was 65 percent making AYP, but only 40 percent actually did. According to district data, officials are still awaiting final AYP results.

In the Strategic Plan, adopted December 2009, the board determined a goal of increasing the number of schools meeting AYP, but didn't reach that goal either. According to district data in 2008-09, 97 percent of elementary schools made AYP, 100 percent of middle schools received the distinction and 88 percent of high schools achieved AYP.

When asked for comment on why they didn't make the AYP targets, Superintendent Fred Sanderson and spokesman Jay Dillon did not respond.

The good news is the district was on target for a number of statewide and national test scores during the 2009-10 school year.

The district just missed its ACT target for last school year by a tenth of a point, with an average ACT composite score of 22.2. The goal was 22.3.

SAT results will be released Monday and Cobb's target score is 1538, four points higher than last year's score of 1534.

At the elementary level, 53 percent of the district's third and fifth graders met the standards on the English/Language Arts portion of the CRCT, meeting the district's target. Seventy-five percent of the district's eighth graders met the state's writing performance standards, also meeting the district's goal.

While the district does not have comparison data or a target for the percentage of third graders reading at grade level, only 69 percent of those students are reading at that level. That percentage is higher in sixth grade, with 79 percent of Cobb's sixth graders reading at grade level. That's 1 percent higher than the district's goal of 78 percent.

As for the graduation rate - a measure used to determine AYP - the district's goal for 2009-10 was to graduate 88 percent of its students on time, but the actual number fell short, with 86.9 percent of Cobb seniors graduating on time.

In other business:

n The board is poised to post an online survey using Survey Monkey asking for community input on its search of a new superintendent. The district will likely post the survey this week, upon board revisions and approval, Crowder-Eagle said. Sanderson announced his retirement in June, effective when his contract expires in June 2011.

n The board plans to change the date for its previously scheduled Sept. 23 meeting because it falls during the district's September break, which is Sept. 20 to Sept. 25. Crowder-Eagle did not specify what date the board will likely change its next meeting to, but she did say the change would be to allow central office staffers the time off during the week-long break, and to encourage more community members to come to the meeting.

"Just because it may be that people who would want to be at public comment might be gone and we want to afford them that opportunity," she said. "As well as some of staff that may have worked through some of July and didn't get to take a vacation might want to now."

n A few months ago, David Banks asked Constantino for a comparison of Cobb schools with schools in Japan, specifying that he wanted the results of the study by September. The item is not on the agenda for today and Dillon did not respond to an email asking when the comparison would be discussed.

Today's board meeting begins with public comment at 8:30 a.m. at 514 Glover Street in Marietta.