March 4, 2010
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
CHANGES TO THE 2009 BASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE INDEX
This letter is to inform you of actions taken at the January 2010 State Board of Education (SBE) meeting concerning changes to the methodology for calculating the 2009 Base Academic Performance Index (API). The 2009 Base API is tentatively scheduled for release on May 4, 2010. The SBE adopted the following changes to the 2009 Base API:
- Include results from the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) in science in grades five, eight, and ten.
- Include results from the California Modified Assessment (CMA) for English-language Arts (ELA) in grades six through eight; mathematics in grades six and seven; and science in grade eight.
- Adjust the 2009 Base API for local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools that administer the CMA in grades seven through eleven in 2010.
- Change race and ethnicity categories to align with the new federal collection and reporting requirements.
- Apply the same significance rules for the English learner (EL) subgroup as used in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations.
Inclusion of the California Alternate Performance Assessment in Science
The CAPA was administered for the first time in 2003. In November 2008, the SBE adopted revised performance levels for the CAPA ELA and mathematics performance levels I through V and new science performance levels for I, III, IV, and V. All of these exams were administered to students as part of the 2008 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. CAPA results for science in grades five, eight, and ten will be included in the 2009 Base API. CAPA results for ELA and mathematics in grades two through eleven are already included in the API.
Inclusion of the California Modified Assessment for Grades Six through Eight
CMA results for ELA in grades six through eight; mathematics in grades six and seven; and science in grade eight will be included in the 2009 Base API. The SBE adopted performance levels on these assessments in November 2009.
The CMA was first administered to students in grades three through five in 2008. The SBE set performance levels for that assessment in November 2008 and results were included in the 2008 Base API.
Adjust the 2009 Base Academic Performance Index for the California Modified Assessment in 2010 (Additional Grades and Content Areas)
In the spring of 2010, the CMA will be expanded to include Algebra I in grades seven through eleven; ELA in grade nine; and life science in grade ten. It is anticipated that the SBE will establish CMA performance levels for grades seven through eleven in November 2010. Therefore, CMA results from these assessments will not be included in the 2010 Growth API that will be released in the fall of 2010.
To accommodate this situation, the 2009 Base API is adjusted to account for the absence of CMA results in 2010 for schools with CMA test takers in grades seven through eleven. This process will be comparable to what occurred for the 2007 and 2008 Base API when the CMA was introduced in other grade levels. The adjustment procedure is necessary to preserve comparability between the 2009 Base and 2010 Growth APIs. The adjustment will be limited to LEAs and schools that will administer the CMA to students in grades seven through eleven in the spring of 2010.
Overview of Adjustment Procedures
The California Department of Education (CDE) will adjust the 2009 Base API by removing records of some students with disabilities (SWD) in grades seven through eleven from the calculation. The intent is to eliminate from consideration, insofar as possible, the 2009 test results of students in grades seven through eleven who would have taken the CMA in 2009 had it been available to them. The CDE will use the number of CMA booklets ordered from Educational Testing Service (ETS) for grades seven through eleven in 2010 to determine the maximum number of student test records for exclusion from the 2009 Base API. You can find detailed information about the CMA adjustment procedures in the 2008–09 Academic Performance Index Reports Information Guide located on the CDE API Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/. Select the "Information Guide" link.
If LEAs wish to revise their estimate of the number of 2010 CMA test takers for grades seven through eleven after they have placed their CMA orders, the CDE offers access to an on-line updating system. Details for updating were sent by e-mail on February 22, 2010, to superintendents from Rachel Perry, Director, Academic Accountability and Awards Division. The e-mail also contained a unique user ID and password for each LEA.
Changes to Race and Ethnicity Categories to Align with the New Federal Collection and Reporting Requirements
states on maintaining, collecting, and reporting race and ethnicity data. The California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) began collecting data following this guidance in the fall of 2009. As a result, the subgroup reporting categories for the 2009 Base and 2010 Growth API reports will change to accommodate the changes around the collection and reporting of information on race and ethnicity. The following categories have been approved by the SBE:
African American
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Filipino
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
White
Two or More Races
The former "Pacific Islander" category is now called "Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander." A new category called "Two or More Races" will also be added. Any of these groups that are considered numerically significant will receive API growth targets on the 2009 Base API Report.
Application of the Significance Rules for English Learner Subgroup
In AYP calculations, reclassified fluent-English-proficient (R-FEP) students are included in the EL subgroup until they have scored proficient or above on the California Standards Test (CST) in ELA three times after being reclassified. In calculating AYP for the EL subgroup of a school or an LEA, R-FEP students are counted to determine whether the EL subgroup meets the minimum subgroup size to be numerically significant. To maintain consistency in API and AYP calculations, the same significance rules that are currently used in AYP calculations will be used for the 2009 Base API calculations.
Therefore, when determining whether the EL subgroup meets the minimum subgroup size to be numerically significant, all students (including R-FEP) would be included in the calculation for both API and AYP.
Tentative Timeline for 2009 Base Academic Performance Index Activities
The key dates for the CMA adjustment process and the release of the 2009 Base API are:
- March 16, 2010 – Access to on-line application to revise CMA estimates ends
- April 27, 2010 – 2009 Base API LEA pre-release
- May 4, 2010 – 2009 Base API public release
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the Academic Accountability Unit by phone at 916-319-0863 or by e-mail at aau@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
JACK O’CONNELL
JO:sw
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814