These Explanatory Notes are designed to assist educators and other interested parties in interpreting the 2002 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Base Report. The Explanatory Notes provide details with respect to the AYP calculations beyond the explanations and footnotes that appear on the report.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
The NCLB Act of 2001 requires all districts and schools to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), with an eventual goal that 100% of all students are proficient or above in reading/language arts and mathematics by 2013–2014.
Adequate Yearly Progress
Under AYP criteria adopted by the State Board of Education,
California districts, schools, and numerically significant student
subgroups within districts and schools must:
Meet Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) in reading/language arts
and mathematics
- Demonstrate a 95% participation rate on assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics
- Demonstrate progress on the Academic Performance Index (API), which is an additional academic indicator for AYP
- Demonstrate progress on the graduation rate of its students (grades 9-12 only)
While the state must determine AYP for all districts and schools, only those that receive Title I aid and do not meet AYP criteria for two consecutive years can be identified as Program Improvement (PI) Districts or Schools. PI schools are subject to those provisions of the law that implement school choice and supplemental services.
Annual Measurable Objectives
All states must establish AMOs, against which states will measure
the progress of their districts, schools, and student subgroups.
These AMOs must be common to districts, schools, and student subgroups,
although they can vary by a school's grade span. In California,
for example, the AMOs for high schools are slightly different
than those for elementary and middle schools.
For California elementary/middle schools, the 2003 AMOs are:
- 13.6 percent of the students proficient or above in reading/English language arts (ELA)
- 16.0 percent of the students proficient or above mathematics
The AMOs for California high schools are:
- 11.2 percent of the students proficient or above in ELA
- 9.6 percent of the students proficient or above in mathematics
The 2002 AYP Base Report
The purpose of the Base Report is to inform districts and schools
of their 2002 starting points in ELA and mathematics. In the case
of high schools and high school districts, the participation rates
and percentages proficient are based on both 2000–2001 voluntary
9th grade administration of California High School Exit Examination
(CAHSEE) as well as the 2001–2002 compulsory 10th grade administration.
In the future, participation rates and percentages proficient
or above will be based on the annual compulsory 10th grade CAHSEE
administration only.
Also, for all schools, the criteria for the exclusion of student
test results because of student mobility differ from earlier API
rules because of the provisions of the NCLB. (See Mobile
Students, page 3).
The 2002 Base Report does not identify a school as not making
AYP. The results in the Report relate only to participation rates
and the percentages of students proficient or above in ELA and
mathematics. The Report does not include data on the API or graduation
rates.
However, the Report does reflect whether the 2002 starting points
for districts and schools are above/at or below the appropriate
2003 AMOs. Title I schools with 2002 base values at or
below the 2003 AMOs should seriously consider the consequences
of not meeting the 2003 AYP criteria, particularly if they already
failed to demonstrate AYP for 2001–2002 (based on the API).
In August, concurrent with the publication of the 2003 AYP Report,
the California Department of Education will identify any Title
I school that does not make AYP for a second consecutive time
for Program Improvement (PI). Additional Title I schools may be
identified with the publication of the 2003 Growth API and graduation
rates in October 2003.
California Standards Tests (CSTs)
For grades 2-8, the CDE has used results from the 2002 administration of the CSTs in English language arts and mathematics to derive the percentages of students at or above the proficient level. These percentages simply summarize the results of the tests as reported by the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.
California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)
For the secondary grades, the CDE has used the results of the CAHSEE to establish the percentage of pupils proficient or above in English language arts or mathematics. In order to use the CAHSEE for this purpose, separate cut scores have been established for both the ELA and mathematics portions of the tests. These cut scores do not correspond to the passing scores on the CAHSEE; instead, they reflect the more rigorous CST performance levels. The cut score for proficient or above in ELA is 387; the comparable cut score in mathematics is 373. These more rigorous cut scores are for NCLB purposes only; they will not be used to determine passing scores on the CAHSEE. These more rigorous cut scores are for NCLB purposes only; they will not be used to determine passing scores on the CAHSEE.
Mobile Students
Under the provisions of the NCLB, a school is accountable for
a student's test results only if the student has been continuously
enrolled in the school since the beginning of the school year.
Likewise, a district is accountable for a student's test results
only if the student has been continuously enrolled in the district
since the beginning of the school year.
California has defined the beginning of the school year to correspond
to the CBEDS date. This is the date in October on which districts
annually submit data to the California Basic Educational Data
System (CBEDS).
The NCLB mobility formula for schools is different from current
state law, which provides for the inclusion of a student's test
results in a school's API if the student has been enrolled in
the district from the CBEDS date, even if the student has since
changed schools within the district. It is anticipated that state
law on the API will be amended to reflect the NCLB criteria.
In California, information on student mobility is gathered through
the STAR or CAHSEE Student Answer Document (SAD). In the past,
the SAD has not included items that would enable the precise application
of the current mobility exclusions. In summarizing results, the
2002 Base AYP report has used available information to come as
close as possible to these formulae.
For the 2001–2002 STAR, test results from a student are included
in the district and school totals if the student has been continuously
enrolled in the district since the preceding CBEDS date.
For the 2000–2001 CAHSEE, the mobility exclusion was not applied
because of concern over the accuracy of the information; therefore,
test results from all students who passed either part of the test
are included in the LEA and school totals, regardless of mobility.
For the 2001–2002 CAHSEE, a student's test results are included
in the LEA and school totals so long as the student was continuously
enrolled in the district from the CBEDS date.
Accommodations/Modifications on CSTs, CAHSEE
Results from students taking the California Standards Tests with accommodations are included in the 2002 Base AYP Report. However, the AYP Report treats CST results from any student who is administered a test below the student's grade level as not proficient. Other modifications are also treated in the same fashion.
Results from students taking the CAHSEE with accommodations are included in the 2002 Base AYP, but results from students taking the CAHSEE with modifications are treated as not proficient.
Core Elements of the Report
Certain core elements appear throughout the 2002 AYP Base Report. They are presented separately by English language arts and mathematics. The core elements include:
- Enrollment First Day of Testing
- Number of Students Tested
- Participation Rate
- Valid Score
- Number Proficient or above
- Percent Proficient or above
- Above/at or below AYP Criteria
Enrollment First Day of Testing
This number is calculated by summing all 2002 STAR Student Answer Documents (SADs) for grades 2-8 and grade 10.
Number of Students Tested
For grades 2-8 (STAR) this number includes all students taking
the test except those students with tests marked absent with codes
991 (blank test) or 998 (no test at this level - also a blank
test). Students whose parents requested that they be exempted
from the test are also subtracted from the number of students
tested, unless the records indicate a test score other than 991
or 998. The number tested includes students who were categorized
as not having attempted the test because they did not complete
sufficient items to generate a score.
For grade 10 in 2002, the number of students tested is based on
CAHSEE SADs from students who passed either the ELA or mathematics
portion of the test as 9th graders in 2000–2001 as well as all
CAHSEE SADS from 10th grade test takers in 2001–2002.
Effective for 2003 testing, the grade 10 students tested will
be calculated by summing all 10th grade CAHSEE SADs except for
absent students with a blank test.
Participation Rate
Participation rate by content area (ELA and mathematics) is calculated by dividing the number of students tested by enrollment on the first day of testing and truncating it to the tenth place.
Valid Scores
The number of valid scores is the number of students tested adjusted for student mobility. This refers to the exclusion of certain test results because a student has not been enrolled in the district or school for a sufficient period of time.
Proficient or Above: Number
This is the number of students with a valid score and a performance level of proficient or advanced by subject area (ELA and mathematics) on either the CST for grades 2-8 or the CAHSEE for grade 10.
As noted above, for purposes of NCLB, "proficient or above" on the CAHSEE will be a mathematics scale score of at least 373 or an ELA scale score of at least 387.
Students who sat for the tests but did not respond to enough items to generate a performance level ("did not attempts") will be considered "below proficient" for accountability purposes.
Proficient or Above: Percent
This rate is calculated by dividing the number of students scoring proficient or above by the number of valid scores and truncating to the tenth place.
Above/At or Below 2003 AYP Criteria
The column is marked "A" if the district, school, or numerically significant student subgroup:
- Demonstrated a 95% participation rate in the applicable assessment
- Was at or above the 2003 AMO in that content area
Districts, schools, or numerically, significant student subgroups
that do not meet both of these criteria are assigned a value of
"B."
An "A" or "B" for a district or a school with less than 100 valid
scores includes an asterisk to note the possibility of the fluctuation
of test results due to a small number of test takers. A statistical
test was used to establish whether or not the district or school
should be considered as at/above or below proficient.
The look-up table that was to evaluate the results for districts
or schools with less than 100 valid scores is available at Annual Measurable Objectives: Districts and Schools with Less than 100 Valid Scores 95% Confidence Interval Table (Adjusted) [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/documents/amo100valid.pdf] (PDF; 10KB; 3pp.).
The 2003 AMOs for schools and districts are:
2003 Annual Measurable Objectives
| Schools | ELA Math | Math |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary/Middle |
13.6% |
16.0% |
| High |
11.2% |
9.6% |
| Districts | ELA Math | Math |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary |
13.6% |
16.0% |
| High (9-12) |
11.2% |
9.6% |
| Unified and High (7-12) |
12.0% |
12.8% |
School-level AMOs are assigned to schools on the basis of their type, not on the basis of district type. Therefore, an elementary school within a unified district has a 2003 AMO in ELA of 13.6%, not 12.0%. All numerically significant student subgroups within a school or district are assigned the corresponding school or district starting points and AMOs.
Student Subgroups
Under the NCLB, not only districts and schools as a whole must demonstrate AYP but also numerically significant subgroups within those districts and schools. These subgroups include:
- Ethnic/racial subgroups
- Socioeconomically disadvantaged students
- English learners
- Students with disabilities
Ethnic/Racial Subgroups
These subgroups include:
- African American (not of Hispanic origin)
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Filipino
- Hispanic or Latino
- Pacific Islander
- White (not of Hispanic origin)
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students
According to the definition adopted by the SBE, the "socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroup" consists of pupils who meet either one of two criteria:
- Neither of the pupil's parents has received a high school
diploma
- OR -
- The pupil participates in the free or reduced price lunch
program.
Information from the STAR or CAHSEE student answer document determines whether a student meets either criterion.
English Learners
English Learner students are students who meet the federally-approved definition of limited English proficient (LEP) students for California: this includes not only state-designated LEP students but also state-Re-designated fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students who have not scored proficient or above three years on the California Standards Test in English Language Arts. For the 2002 Report, this would include students with "3" or "4" marked under language fluency on their SAD.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are those students with SADs coded in the following manner:
- CAHSEE - 2001: if columns 120-121 are marked (01-13 or **)
- CAHSEE - 2002: if field "Special Education Services" is "1" and the field "Disability Code for Special Education Services" contains any of the following codes: ('010','020','030','040','050','060','070','080','090,'100','110','120','130',' ')
- STAR - 2002: if field 408 is marked with a '1' and field 409-411 contains a valid disability code or it is missing: ('010','020','030','040','050','060','070','080','090','100','110','120','130',' ')
Numerically Significant Subgroup
A numerically significant subgroup is defined as a pupil subgroup "that constitutes at least 15 percent of a school's total pupil population and consists of at least 50 pupils." Also, if a pupil subgroup constitutes at least 100 pupils, that subgroup is "numerically significant" even if it does not constitute 15 percent of the school population.
