Zebulon Elementary and Wendell Elementary schools failed to meet the math standard in the federal No Child Left Behind testing.

Only 31 of the 96 Wake County public elementary schools met federal requirements in math.

Nine elementary schools moved into “school improvement status,” including Wendell and Zebulon, because the schools did not meet the standard for two years in a row.

That means students will be eligible to transfer from the school to another school designated by the Wake County Board of Education.

The Wake County school board is scheduled to address the transfer program at its meeting Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.

The students also will receive opportunities for after-school tutoring.

Reading scores will be added this fall.

To evaluate students, a school is divided into subgroups.

Forty or more students who are white, black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, multiracial, have limited English proficiency, are economically disadvantaged and those with disabilities are considered a group.

Subgroup scores are averaged separately and each group must meet the standard, rather than averaging the school’s performance as a whole.

The school must test 95 percent of their students in the subgroups.

“I think that No Child Left Behind is right to focus our performance on specific subgroups,” said David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research. “I think it undercuts its value by not recognizing that because one or even two subgroups are not where we’d like them to be (a school has failed.)”

Holdzkom also said the schools have responsibility for students who don’t get parental supporter community support in their education.

“We can still be successful for the child who isn’t getting the other kinds of support and it’s our responsibility to do that,”he said.

Wake County had fewer schools meeting standards this year. Proficiency standards were raised this year, up 12 points to 77.2 percent. The schools’ average must be 77.2 percent through 2010 to pass the test, according to Holdzkom.

No Child Left Behind set the goal to be 100 percent by year 2013-2014.

The legislation is up for reauthorization by Congress this year “It’s not clear what changes Congress will want to make in the act,” said Holdzcom.