Inclusions/Exclusions
Testing Students in Science and Academic Performance Index (API) Assignment of 200
Q. Is a school expected to test all freshman, sophomores, and juniors in science if it wants the number of students tested on the California Standards Test (CST) in science to equal the number of valid scores for the API?
A. No. State law does not require this for high school graduation. The California State University/University of California (CSU/UC) admission requirements are three years of mathematics and two years of science. Schools should base their testing decisions on what is best for each student.
For API calculations, a weight of 200 is assigned for all non-mobile students in grades nine through eleven who do not have results for a CST in science. For grade ten, the CST in life science fulfills this requirement.
Beginning with the 2006 Base API, the State Board of Education revised the "assignment of 200" policy. The policy will continue but with lower test weights as follows:
- A student record showing the student did not take a CST in mathematics (grades eight through eleven) is assigned a value of 200 points in the API calculation. In this case, a test weight of 0.10 is used in the calculation instead of a test weight of 0.32 (grade eight) or 0.20 (grades nine through eleven) that is otherwise used for a student record showing the student took a CST in mathematics.
- A student record showing the student did not take an end-of-course CST in science (grades nine through eleven) or the CST in life science (grade ten) is assigned a value of 200 points in the API calculation. In this case, a test weight of 0.05 is used in the calculation instead of a test weight of 0.22 that is otherwise used for a student record showing the student took an end-of-course CST in science (grades nine through eleven). Note: For students in grade ten, taking the CST in life science fulfills the requirement of taking a CST in science in grades nine through eleven
The assignment of 200 for students who do not do not take a CST in mathematics or in science is used only in API calculations and does not apply to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations.
Reasons for API Assignment of 200 Policy
Q. Since state law does not require schools to test each student in grades nine through eleven on the CST in science, why did the California State Board of Education (SBE) begin assigning 200 in the API calculation for non-testing students in the CSTs in mathematics and in science?
A. There is no perfect way to include any test in the API when that test is not given to all students. The SBE adopted a method that rewards schools that offer more mathematics and science classes for which there are CSTs.
If the state based the API only on those students who took the test, then some schools might discourage many students (all but the highest achievers) from taking advanced mathematics and science classes in order to increase their API. The SBE recognized the need to have an API with some kind of incentives.
Since the average API score is adjusted to make the Growth API equal the Base API each year, the net effect of assigning 200 is close to zero. This means schools with a higher than average percent of students taking CSTs in mathematics and science actually have increased APIs due to the assignments. Only schools with below-average numbers of students taking the CSTs in mathematics and science have lower APIs due to the assignment rules.
Parent Exemptions and API Assignment of 200 Policy
Q. If a student takes the CST in English-Language Arts (ELA) but has a parent waiver for the CST in mathematics, is a 200 assigned for the API? If this student was absent instead of having a parent waiver, is a 200 assigned for the API?
A. If a student record from grades eight through eleven shows a score for the CST in ELA but a parent waiver for the CST in mathematics, the CST in ELA result is counted in the API and the CST in mathematics is not counted.
If a student record from grades eight through eleven shows a score for the CST in ELA but an absence for the CST in mathematics, the CST in ELA result is counted in the API and the CST in mathematics is counted in the API with a weight of 200.
California General Mathematics Standards Test
Q. When students in grade eight or grade nine take the California General Mathematics Standards Test (CST in General Mathematics), how are their scores calculated for individual test levels and for AYP and API calculations?
A. The individual test report sent to the student has no adjustments.
The API calculation adjusts results for the CST in General Mathematics. The grade eight results are lowered one performance level and the grade nine results are lowered two performance levels to account for the fact that the test is based on grades six and seven state standards. No other adjustments are made for results of the CST in mathematics. No adjustments are made for the AYP.
CAHSEE and Change of Schools
Q. A grade ten student was absent for the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) census administration at the school in which the student was enrolled. The student transferred to another school within the school district and took the make-up at his/her new school site. Which school is actually held accountable for that student (i.e., how is the student's information applied)?
A. The data for the student almost always are applied at the first school. There are a few exceptions when the data are applied at the second school. The student should have a census record at the first school. Since the student did not take the test at the first school, it will lower the first school's participation rate for AYP.
The student should also have a census record (not a make-up record) at the second school. New students always have census records, not make-up records, regardless of when they took the test (February, March, or May). Only students who already have a census record at the same school can have a make-up record.
If the test at the second school was given in March, the results will be included in the AYP calculations. If the test was given in May, it falls outside of the official February-March AYP census window, and the results will not be counted at the second school.
Enrolled in District But Not School
Q. If a student was enrolled in a school district for the October California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) data collection day but was not enrolled in the school for the October CBEDS day, is the student included in the school's AYP and API?
A. No. If the student was continuously enrolled in the school district but not the school since the October CBEDS data collection day, the student test results are counted in the AYP percent proficient calculation (and in the calculation of the API) for the school district report but not for the school report. For the AYP participation rate calculation, however, the student test results are counted in both the school district and the school reports.
Enrolled in School But Not District
Q. If a student was enrolled in the school for the October CBEDS data collection day but was not enrolled in the school district for the October CBEDS day, is the student included in the school's AYP and API?
A. Yes. In almost all cases, this is a data error and must be fixed. The student will be counted in the school API and AYP reports and not the district reports. It is important that these data are corrected.
Definition of Non-mobile
Q. What is the significance of the term "non-mobile"?
A. Non-mobile students are students who have been continuously enrolled in the school from the CBEDS date to the testing date. Only the results of non-mobile students are considered "valid scores" and are included in the API calculation and AYP percent proficient.
English Learner Inclusion/Exclusion Rules
Q. When are test score results for English learners included or excluded in the API score or AYP results?
A. For both API and AYP, any student record that shows the student was continuously enrolled in the school or district from the prior CBEDS to the testing date is included in the school or Local Educational Agency (LEA) valid scores respectively.
However, for AYP and beginning with the 2006 Base API, English learners who were first enrolled in U.S. schools for less than a year are not included in the school or LEA valid scores. For the 2006 AYP and 2006 Base API, this means that English learners enrolled in the school after March 15, 2005, are not counted in the number of valid scores.
Definition of Continuously Enrolled
Q. What is the definition of "continuously enrolled"?
A. The following description is an excerpt from page A-9 in the Appendices of the "2007 California STAR District and Test Site Coordinator Manual," available from the Document Library (in the Archive Library):
Use the following to determine continuous enrollment for CBEDS Enrollment (Section 14). Evidence of withdrawal from a school or district includes but may not be limited to:
- Student died while enrolled in school.
- Parent/guardian withdrew student to enroll in another school or district.
- Parent/guardian withdrew student with intent to home school.
- Student was placed in the California Youth Authority (CYA).
Reasons for dropping a student from a school's or district's enrollment include but may not be limited to:
- Student was expelled from the school and district with no further participation in an academic program.
- The school/district has evidence (documentation) that the student moved.
- Student left school and met the state criteria of a dropout.
If a student is absent for an extended period of time due to illness, vacation, or a temporary move during which the student does not enroll in another school, the student is to be counted as continuously enrolled.
Removal from a school's enrollment generally means that the school received information that the student had moved or enrolled in another school or the school determined that the student met the state dropout criteria.
Bridge Schools
Q. How are the API and AYP determinations different for a bridge school with a grade span of seven through twelve?
A. To meet state requirements for the inclusion of the scale calibration factor (SCF), the API is calculated separately for three main grade span segments: grade levels two through six, seven through eight, and nine through eleven. Bridge schools have grade spans that overlap these categories (e.g., kindergarten through grade twelve). In these cases, the API calculation is the average of the APIs for the grade span segments, weighted by the sum of the products of test weights multiplied by the number of valid scores across content areas for a school.
To meet federal requirements of the NCLB Act for California, however, AYP results are calculated for grade levels two through eight and ten. In these cases, there is no averaging. The results for each segment are added together, and the percent proficient or above is determined from the total number proficient or above divided by the total number of valid scores.
Because the grade span segments differ for API and AYP calculations, however, a school may have different grade levels included in its API and AYP results. For a school with a grade span of seven through twelve, the API calculation would be the weighted average of the APIs for grades seven through eight and nine through eleven. For the same school, the AYP calculations would be based on the test results for grades seven through eight and grade ten.
