Immediately following Monday’s release of the Alabama AYP Accountability Reports, Escambia County High School Principal Zickeyous Byrd began working on a “prescription for success” for Atmore county schools.

Byrd, who led ECMS out of potential state take over in 2005 by meeting all 21 goals required by middle schools year after year, is now tasked to lead the high school that met only 10 out of 13 goals required as it enters its fourth year of school improvement.

“We are definitely going to target those students and know which ones we have to work with the most,” Byrd said. “We are going to put in a lot of interventions for those students. We are going to make absolutely sure that they meet those goals for this coming year.”

The high school did not meet state requirements in reading for free and reduced lunch students, black students and all students. He said the “interventions” would include targeting students’ individual weaknesses shown through data.

“We are going to individualize instruction for all of our students that we see that are falling low in an area,” he said.

Examples could include focusing on reading vocabulary, fluency or comprehension, depending on individual student weaknesses.

To top it off, the middle school missed its goals by one for the first time in four years.

“Although I wish that we would have met all of our goals, I was kind of expecting it,” Byrd said of the middle school’s performance. “I knew that the baseline goals were going up extremely higher last year than in year’s past as we work to reach 100 percent in 2014.”

Special education reading scores held the middle school back in 2010 from performing at 100 percent. Byrd said he understands what is expected from the state and plans put even more work into ensuring the school performs well.

“Although I know that we have 100 percent expectancy for all students, our special education students just can’t meet the same goals as our regular students,” he said. “Sometimes it just takes them a little bit longer to reach. We are committed to making sure that they do reach 100 percent, so we are going to work that much harder to see that it’s done.”

Byrd will also be mentoring Linda Shuford, who was hired to replace him as principal at ECMS after he transferred to the high school in June, this upcoming school year. He said he would aid her in leading the school to meeting AYP next year.