SOUTH BEND — New numbers show South Bend schools are slipping when it comes to federal standards, while the rest of the state improves. It has to do with the No Child Left Behind Act.

The state just released the numbers. They show 54 percent of Indiana's public schools met what's called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). That's up from 52 percent in 2006.

But that's not the case in South Bend. Only six of South Bend's 32 schools met the federal standard. That's less than 20 percent.

“It's very frustrating to be quite frank,” said John Ritzler, Director of Research and Evaluation for South Bend Community School Corporation.

For our area's largest school corporation, the numbers are not what administrators wanted to hear.

Fewer schools are passing the federal standard for progress. Only six passed last year — down from eight the year before.

Perley Primary is one of four schools where students haven't reached AYP in three years. That means administrators must take corrective action, from replacing relevant staff, to replacing curriculum, or even extending the school day.

Failing for five years could end in a state takeover.

“We've put a lot of things in place,” Ritzler said.

To avoid that, administrators have expanded full-day kindergarten, added a summer school program accessible for all students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and placed a major emphasis on reading.

“We have reading coaches that are working with students,” Ritzler said. “They're not just working in schools that are in corrective action; they're working at all the schools.”

The results from other urban school corporations across the state are mixed. Last year, 10 schools in Evansville reached AYP, up from five the year before.

But Indianapolis public schools stayed the same, and East Allen County schools in Fort Wayne dropped from 14 schools passing in 2006 to 11 last year.

As long as the No Child Left Behind Act has been around, school administrators have called it unfair, especially to large urban school districts. One standard for everyone, they say, is a setup for failure.

“I think everybody agrees that setting high standards is a noble effort,” Ritzler said. “Unfortunately the way the system is now, it's not really fair in how it labels schools. And whether or not that'll get adjusted I can't answer that.”

WSBT News tried repeatedly to talk to the superintendent of South Bend Schools, but was told Dr. Zimmerman did not have time.

South Bend wasn't alone. Warsaw also slipped. Only four of that district’s ten schools met AYP in 2007, down from seven the year before.

In Elkhart, only 1 of 19 schools met AYP, down from two in 2006.

In Goshen Schools, none met AYP in 2006 or 2007.

Plymouth saw improvement with five schools meeting the standard in 2007, up from three the year before.