Adequate Yearly Progress was established as the accountability measure for Title I schools and districts in the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Each state was required to develop its own formula based on state assessments in at least reading and mathematics. Many different approaches were used, with the result that Title I schools and districts were held to different standards in each state.

Michigan's formula was developed by the Title I Committee of Practitioners, with input from educators across the state. It established a very rigorous system that held Title I schools and districts accountable for substantial yearly progress in each of the subject areas of reading, mathematics, science and writing. Many Title I schools were identified for improvement - more than in any other state. These schools were expected to use their AYP information to strengthen their school improvement plans and focus their professional development activities.

The most recent reauthorization of Title I in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 made major changes in the AYP requirements to bring more consistency to the approaches used by individual states. The new legislation also made dramatic changes in how AYP results are used, with a focus on identifying low-performing Title I schools and districts and offering other educational options to their students.

In response to the 2001 legislation, Michigan changed its approach to AYP to concentrate on English language arts and mathematics, and to use the new federal formula for establishing annual statewide achievement objectives that apply to each Title I school and district. Schools and districts that do not meet these achievement objectives can still demonstrate AYP by showing adequate improvement in the percentage of students who meet state standards in English language arts and mathematics, in combination with acceptable attendance or graduation rates.