For the first time in five years, Greenville Middle School is in the clear.

However, GMS administrators are not the only ones taking a sigh of relief after receiving 2011-2012 Adequate Yearly Progress reports.

After failing to meet AYP requirements last year, Georgiana has successfully met all of its 17 goals for 2011-2012.

Georgiana was on the cusp of passing the AYP requirements last year, but failed to meet the goal for the graduation rate. Because of a new system of calculations, Georgiana was able to meet the goal this year.

The new graduation rate is based upon the amount of students that enter the ninth grade and whether or not that same amount of students are exiting the school at graduation.

“They redeemed themselves this year and I’m happy about that,” Butler County School’s Superintendent Darren Douthitt said. “I don’t think they had academic or proficiency concerns on AYP, but it was always the graduation rate. I don’t think they will ever have AYP issues again.”

Going hand-in-hand with that, Greenville Middle School worked to reach its second year in a row of making AYP, which allowed the school to exit the school improvement program.

“I’m very proud overall,” GMS Principal Curtis Black said. “Everyone pulled together and we came in with a mission and accomplished it. We tried to focus on our weaknesses and celebrated success.”

GMS had failed to meet AYP requirements for four years prior to making the grade last year.

All school systems will be looking to the future as far as the changes in accountability, but for Black, he just wants to keep the ball rolling.

“We’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing,” Black said. “We’re going to make teaching and learning our top priority, and we plan to continue to stay clear.”