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Adequate Yearly Progress
by
Roxanna Elden’s satire is a brilliantly entertaining and moving look at our education system.
Each new school year brings familiar challenges to Brae Hill Valley, a struggling high school in one the biggest cities in Texas. But the teachers also face plenty of personal challenges and this year, they may finally spill over into the classroom.
English teacher Lena Wright, a sp ...more
Each new school year brings familiar challenges to Brae Hill Valley, a struggling high school in one the biggest cities in Texas. But the teachers also face plenty of personal challenges and this year, they may finally spill over into the classroom.
English teacher Lena Wright, a sp ...more
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Paperback, 400 pages
Published
February 11th 2020
by Atria Books
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I am a teacher in a public school and have been for the past sixteen years. It is like someone sat in my school, every day, for all these years, and then wrote a documentary.
And this is fiction.
I can’t rave about this book enough. I loved it. I hated it. I laughed out loud and quoted passages to other teacher friends and teared up at passages detailing the struggles of students.
Every teacher should read this. Everyone curious about the struggles of teaching in public school should read this.
Adeq ...more
And this is fiction.
I can’t rave about this book enough. I loved it. I hated it. I laughed out loud and quoted passages to other teacher friends and teared up at passages detailing the struggles of students.
Every teacher should read this. Everyone curious about the struggles of teaching in public school should read this.
Adeq ...more

Though the tone of this book is light, what these Texas high school teachers are put through is decidedly bleak. I have empathy for teachers in real life and had a lot of empathy for these fictional characters. They’re being put through the ringer by a business man/minor celebrity Nick Wallabee who is trying to turn teaching into a business through charter schools (who don’t have to follow the standards of public schools and can essentially function as a way for con artists to make money). Also,
...more

In Adequate Yearly Progress, teachers at Brae Hill High School deal with the changes that come with a new superintendent and a new school year.
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As a teacher, I don’t think I’ve ever read a more realistic portrayal of teaching. The teachers created by Roxanna Elden are teachers represented in every public school.
I was hooked from the start but was hoping for a little more in the ending. Overall a great read before heading back to the classroom.
▪️
Thank you NetGalley and Rivet Street Books for ...more
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As a teacher, I don’t think I’ve ever read a more realistic portrayal of teaching. The teachers created by Roxanna Elden are teachers represented in every public school.
I was hooked from the start but was hoping for a little more in the ending. Overall a great read before heading back to the classroom.
▪️
Thank you NetGalley and Rivet Street Books for ...more

I worked in public education for twelve years and during that time I had a close friend who was a counselor in our Guidance Office. We would have lunch together every day and talk about how we needed to write a book about public education because people would never believe the things we have to go through on a daily basis.
In fact we stated keeping a list of things that would happen in our office each year and at the end of the school year we would go back and reflect on the year of weird things ...more
In fact we stated keeping a list of things that would happen in our office each year and at the end of the school year we would go back and reflect on the year of weird things ...more

MY REVIEW:
Wow, all I can say is, this story blew me away! I wasn’t a fan of high school, couldn’t wait until it was over and after reading ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS by Roxanna Elden, I guess high school life is still very stressful. Roxanna will have your emotions all over the place. Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop! What an awesome story. All of Roxanna’s characters feel genuine and relatable and put your emotions on one heck of a roller coaster ride. As you are reading, you will ...more
Wow, all I can say is, this story blew me away! I wasn’t a fan of high school, couldn’t wait until it was over and after reading ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS by Roxanna Elden, I guess high school life is still very stressful. Roxanna will have your emotions all over the place. Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop! What an awesome story. All of Roxanna’s characters feel genuine and relatable and put your emotions on one heck of a roller coaster ride. As you are reading, you will ...more

Adequate Yearly Progress is an extraordinary look into a year in the lives of teachers and administrators at a high school in Texas. It shows the pressures which are put on teachers having their students score high enough on the yearly standardized test and the complications this pressure puts on them, administrators whose livelihood depends on high scores and the students.
Although filled with humor, the book explores the teacher's perspectives, both good and bad, in their classes, their relatio ...more
Although filled with humor, the book explores the teacher's perspectives, both good and bad, in their classes, their relatio ...more

I went into this book expecting, per the description, a juicy, immersive book about the dynamics of a team of teachers working against limitations to change the world. I was even prepared for it to be a fairly light read focused more on the entertainment value of students vs. students, students vs. teachers, teachers vs. principals, etc. Instead, this book tries for dynamics but reads like someone conducted one singular interview with one teacher (who possibly misunderstood a lot of things about
...more

If you are a teacher, you will love this book. Or it will make you cry. I'm not sure, because it was so on target about where we are with education and what teachers go through it was so scary, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Brae Hill Valley High School is a struggling inner city school in Texas. This story is told from the perspective of the teachers, at the front lines of education, as they attempt to navigate through every new initiative, every new mandate, every new test that is throw ...more
Brae Hill Valley High School is a struggling inner city school in Texas. This story is told from the perspective of the teachers, at the front lines of education, as they attempt to navigate through every new initiative, every new mandate, every new test that is throw ...more

This book was like an 8th grade grammar lesson that went off the rails.
Some of the initiatives started by the new superintendent are funny—until they aren’t. Satire would have worked but layers were added until it became weighted and absurd. A few acronyms are funny but a boatload are boring. The teachers were all stereotypes. We had Hernan, the socially awkward science teacher and Maybelline, the suck up who is loved by the administrators. We have the football coach who has a child with another ...more
Some of the initiatives started by the new superintendent are funny—until they aren’t. Satire would have worked but layers were added until it became weighted and absurd. A few acronyms are funny but a boatload are boring. The teachers were all stereotypes. We had Hernan, the socially awkward science teacher and Maybelline, the suck up who is loved by the administrators. We have the football coach who has a child with another ...more

Adequate Yearly Progress
There were times when I taught when I was certain no one else knew what I was going through. It is strange that in a profession where you are surrounded by other humans all day long, that I could feel so lonely and isolated. Roxanna Elden gets it. Maybe because she taught for eleven years. That perspective I only get when talking to other teachers, I got here in this book as well.
The essential loneliness of the job came through to me. So many characters going through indi ...more
There were times when I taught when I was certain no one else knew what I was going through. It is strange that in a profession where you are surrounded by other humans all day long, that I could feel so lonely and isolated. Roxanna Elden gets it. Maybe because she taught for eleven years. That perspective I only get when talking to other teachers, I got here in this book as well.
The essential loneliness of the job came through to me. So many characters going through indi ...more

Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden
This book is fun read about a group of Texas High School teachers and their daily struggles to survive yet another school year. To get the inside look, I knew that this book had to be written by none other than an educator as well. Though this is a fiction read, the message is clear, timely and relevant. There is a current battle between the public education system and the charter school system and what is the best education format for our children. This ...more
This book is fun read about a group of Texas High School teachers and their daily struggles to survive yet another school year. To get the inside look, I knew that this book had to be written by none other than an educator as well. Though this is a fiction read, the message is clear, timely and relevant. There is a current battle between the public education system and the charter school system and what is the best education format for our children. This ...more

It's really hard to give this book only three stars. I read it on the heels of finding out that, as a librarian who TEACHES CLASSES, I'm not eligible for performance bonuses by our school district. It's a tough blow and a lot of money I won't see. No matter how long I'm in the library, I was a classroom teacher long enough to never NOT feel like one. I was a highly effective teacher every single year, but suddenly, as a librarian, I'm nothing to my district administration. And even though that's
...more

Full Book Review
What a smart, witty, and fun book! A tongue-in-cheek look at the shortcomings of school systems - especially when they're managed from the outside.
Although I'm not a teacher, I have plenty of family and friends who have had some strong words about the school system. Too many hoops to jump through, the hurdles to actually teaching the material when they're bogged down with test-prep, the likelihood of burnout, the range of attitudes and capabilities of the teaching staff, and the ...more
What a smart, witty, and fun book! A tongue-in-cheek look at the shortcomings of school systems - especially when they're managed from the outside.
Although I'm not a teacher, I have plenty of family and friends who have had some strong words about the school system. Too many hoops to jump through, the hurdles to actually teaching the material when they're bogged down with test-prep, the likelihood of burnout, the range of attitudes and capabilities of the teaching staff, and the ...more

Hard to believe this book is fiction, because I’ve lived through MANY of these chapters, including the starfish presentation. 😂
If you have endured any of the following situations, you should read this book:
*You are an educator who has felt the intense pressure that standardized tests bring.
*You are an educator who has had to take directives from “professionals” who actually don’t have a clue what they are doing.
*You are questioning whether or not you should stay in education.
*You find yourself o ...more
If you have endured any of the following situations, you should read this book:
*You are an educator who has felt the intense pressure that standardized tests bring.
*You are an educator who has had to take directives from “professionals” who actually don’t have a clue what they are doing.
*You are questioning whether or not you should stay in education.
*You find yourself o ...more

In Roxanna Elden’s Adequate Yearly Progress, the teachers, students, and administrators of Brae Hill Valley High School flail their way through another school year beleaguered by a new superintendent famous for his headline-grabbing books and his consultant minion who shows up at all the worst times in classrooms, locker rooms, and the teacher’s lounge. The heroes of this book are the educators who rebel against this year’s new instructional paradigms and the students trying to gain an education
...more

If you have ever wanted a glimpse into the daily life of a teacher, then Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden is the book for you! For the teachers at Brae Hill Valley, a struggling Texas high school, this year promises to be their most challenging yet. With a new superintendent intent on implementing big changes and new expectations in the district, the pressure builds to not only outperform other schools, but to outshine each other.
Oh my goodness, this book was beyond relatable to me. Is ...more
Oh my goodness, this book was beyond relatable to me. Is ...more

Holy CRAP was this ever written by a teacher! I was alternately laughing out loud and banging my head against a metaphorical desk. The teacher's experience is SO frustrating, and rewarding, and this book NAILS it. Only a true veteran could have written such a story - I hope more do so, I was really entertained by the book.
...more

If you’re an educator now or were within the last 15 years or so, you’re most definitely familiar with these letters...AYP... Adequate Yearly Progress, and if you’re familiar with that terminology, I have NO doubt you’ll be equally familiar with every aspect of this book by the same name...the people….the plot line… the personalities....the politics...it’s all in there!
While Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden is a piece of fictional writing, educators across this nation will immediately ...more
While Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden is a piece of fictional writing, educators across this nation will immediately ...more

This book might not be as well received amongst non educators. However, as a teacher in a district very similar to the one depicted in this book, I have to say I totally related. I found myself laughing at its sad, yet realistic absurdity. It meanders a bit towards the end, but never lost me. I’ve always said there should be more fiction novels written about the world of education. I’d recommend all educators give this one a chance.

Well, this hit close to home! If you have ever worked as a teacher, you will completely relate to the ridiculous initiatives, the inexperienced "experts," and every single thing that Elden skews about school culture. It's a satirical novel about education but I actually recommend it for people who aren't teachers. In some ways it is too real for teachers to be able to laugh about. Read it and hug a teacher.
...more

This book served me a variety of characters that were quite similar to the kind of teachers I had in school. It's quite hilarious as it is thought provoking and I got to read a copy of it through NetGalley in exchange for this honest take of mine. I reckon teachers or any administrator who is familiar with AYP would enjoy this read, and so would anyone who's ever been in a classroom.
...more

Great book that I’d recommend anyone interested in public education should read. Folks will think it is hyper exaggerated satire, but it is mild at best. Pretty accurately reflects the reality of a lot of high schools with shifting agendas and hopping on every new bandwagon.
Best part is no martyr teacher narrative (actually, pretty constant mockery of that idea)!
Best part is no martyr teacher narrative (actually, pretty constant mockery of that idea)!

Mar 01, 2019
K.Butler
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thanks-but-no-thanks
I just couldn't make it through. I was hoping it would be funnier, but instead it was just eerily realistic. Some chapters just made me angry because they mirrored real situations I have been in. Teaching is hard enough, so I prefer to read books that help me escape all of it at the end of the day.
...more

This is a story of a public school in Texas and their extremely hard year. Hard, not just for the students but for the teachers and the administrative board. There is a new publicity loving superintendent on board, someone with ties to money involved elsewhere in the education 'industry'. I do not have any direct involvement with teaching other than having been a student myself but hardly anyone would deny that a good teacher with the zeal to inspire their students are rare and need to be commen
...more

4.5 stars
I have watched all the major career dramas of today that one can name, but never have I read one before...and overall, I have to say that I really loved the experience.
The novel is written from the perspectives of several different teachers (including the principal) of a public inner-city high school in Texas and explores their struggles with changing board-mandated expectations, weak academic culture among students, and balancing their personal lives.
In immersing its readers into the ...more
I have watched all the major career dramas of today that one can name, but never have I read one before...and overall, I have to say that I really loved the experience.
The novel is written from the perspectives of several different teachers (including the principal) of a public inner-city high school in Texas and explores their struggles with changing board-mandated expectations, weak academic culture among students, and balancing their personal lives.
In immersing its readers into the ...more

I enjoyed this comedy about high school teaching. Everyone gets skewered -- teachers, students, parents, administrators, the reform climate, all of it. With that, the reader has to be comfortable with satire around race, class, and gender -- and be warned that this book is written by a white author and the characters have diverse backgrounds. But if you have worked in a school, you will probably delight in the dark humor here.
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Play Book Tag: Adequate Yearly Progress / Roxanna Elden - 3*** | 1 | 6 | Dec 29, 2020 07:04AM |
Roxanna Elden combines eleven years of experience as a public school teacher with a decade of speaking to audiences around the country about education issues. Her first book, See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers, is a staple in school districts and educator training programs, and her work has been featured on NPR as well as in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, E
...more
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“Watching one of her favorite activities become an instrument of torture made Lena’s soul feel . . . threadbare.”
—
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“Adequate Yearly Progress. He turned the phrase over in his mind, shuffling it like a deck of cards. That first word was where they got you, he decided. Yearly and progress were concrete terms. But adequate? That was the moving target. Adequate was the part that got decided in an office somewhere, at the last minute, based on what would look good in the newspaper, or get someone reelected, or highlight some new defect that called for TransformationalChange”
—
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