Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a measure established under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) by which schools and districts must demonstrate that their students are improving annually in academic achievement. Specifically, to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), public schools must demonstrate an increase in the percentage of students who meet or exceed the statewide annual achievement objectives. If schools or systems fail to meet their goals, they can be subject to three remedies of increasing severity. This entry describes the background of NCLB's AYP requirements and their accompanying penalties.