Questions & Answers About AYP & PI

1. Questions & AnswersAbout AYP & PI answered on the video by: Rae Belisle, Dave Meaney Bill Padia & Maria Reyes July 2003

2. Does Adequate Yearly Progress apply to all schools or just Title I schools? • Adequate Yearly Progress requirements apply to all schools and districts, including charter schools and alternative schools. • Currently, only Title I-funded schools that do not meet or exceed Adequate Yearly Progress requirements will be identified for Program Improvement (or PI).

3. If a charter school is district-funded, how will it be held accountable under Adequate Yearly Progress requirements? • Charter schools that are direct-funded will be treated as both a school anda district for AYP purposes. • Charter schools funded through their district will be treated only as a school for AYP purposes.

4. Do districts also have to meet Adequate Yearly Progress criteria? • Yes, districts also must meet Adequate Yearly Progress criteria. • They are held accountable for all students continuously enrolled in the district from the CBEDS date to the first day of testing. This includes: • Results of students in all schools in the district, AND • Results of students in district programs, such as special education students in district programs.

5. Are the subgroups mandated by NCLB the same as those in California’s current Academic Performance Index (or API) system? • No. The CDE is pursuing legislation to add two student groups among those required to demonstrate comparable improvement in the current statewide accountability system, which is the system of the Academic Performance Index. • The new subgroups required by NCLB for AYP are: • Students with disabilities, AND • English learners. (see next slide for details)

6. Subgroups • Existing: • 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 • New: • Students with disabilities • English Learners

7. How are “English Learners” defined for Adequate Yearly Progress? The English Learner subgroup for AYP includes: • All students designated on the student answer document as EL (English Learners) or as RFEP (Redesignated Fluent English Proficient). RFEP students will continue to be included until they have attained the proficient level on the California Standards Test in English-language arts for three years.

8. What is the minimum subgroup size under NCLB? • The minimum subgroup size for Adequate Yearly Progress is different from the minimum size for the Academic Performance Index. • For Adequate Yearly Progress, schools will be held accountable for subgroups that have at least: • 100 students enrolled on the first day of testing, OR • 50 students who represent at least 15 percent of the students enrolled on the first day of testing. • This rule applies to schools and to districts. • The CDE is pursuing legislation to align the Academic Performance Index rules to the Adequate Yearly Progress rules about subgroup size. (see next slide for details)

9. Subgroup Size Numerically significant subgroups for AYP: • Schools will be held accountable for subgroups that have: • 100 students, OR • 50 students that comprise 15% of the student population • This rule will apply to schools and districts • CDE is pursuing legislation to align API with AYP rules for subgroup size

10. Are district subgroups held accountable for AYP? • Yes. AYP applies to each numerically significant subgroup at the district.

11. Under current state law, parents are allowed to excuse (waive) their children from participating in the statewide testing program. How are these parental waivers incorporated into NCLB? • To meet federal NCLB requirements, students with parental waivers are counted as non-test takers when calculating participation rates for Adequate Yearly Progress, which is different than what is done when calculating participation rates for the Academic Performance Index. • This means that the higher the number of parent exemptions, the lower the participation rate (all else being equal) for Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.

12. Many schools have students who are mobile. What are the mobility rules for the Adequate Yearly Progress calculations? • To meet NCLB requirements, new mobility rules will apply to Adequate Yearly Progress calculations. • If the student was continuously enrolled in the school from the CBEDS date to the first day of testing, the student is counted in the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress calculation. • If the student attended more than one school but was continuously enrolled in the district from the CBEDS date to the first day of testing, the student is counted in the district’s Adequate Yearly Progress calculation. continued on next page

13. continued from previous page • This new rule will start with the 2003 AYP reports in August. • The CDE is pursuing legislation to align the mobility rules for the API to the mobility rules for AYP. (see next slide for details)

14. NCLB Student Mobility Rules Student was enrolled in one school since CBEDS date Yes Count in school accountability report No Student was enrolled in more than one school in the same district, since CBEDS date Count in district accountability report Yes No Count in state accountability report

15. How will a school’s Academic Performance Index be affected by NCLB requirements? • The Academic Performance Index methodology will basically remain the same. • However, changes in certain parts of the law and regulations are being pursued to align Academic Performance Index requirements with those of NCLB. • These changes will include: • The addition of two new subgroups (English Learners and students with disabilities), • Change in the minimum size for subgroups, • An increase in the participation rate for high schools to 95%, AND • New mobility rules. continued on next page

16. continued from previous page • Schools and districts that do not meet the Academic Performance Index “additional indicator” requirements for NCLB or that have no API will not make AYP (see next slide for details)

17. Remain the same: Statewide target (800) Base-growth cycle Calculation of the index and targets Schedule of reporting Timeline for inclusion of new assessments Proposed Changes*: Addition of two new subgroups (ELs and students with disabilities) Change in subgroup size Increase in participation rate for high schools to 95% Mobility rule How Will the API be Affected? *Subject to legislation or regulation

18. For a school that does not receive Title I funds, what happens if the school does not make Adequate Yearly Progress on the 2003 AYP reports? • Currently, the requirements of NCLB such as choice or supplemental services do not apply to non-Title I schools. • However, Adequate Yearly Progress reports provide public reporting of AYP results, and schools and districts will need to communicate their progress to their teachers, parents, and students. • In addition, schools that do not make AYP will not be eligible for incentive programs such as the California Distinguished Schools Program.

19. What if a school is above the statewide goals for Adequate Yearly Progress? • A school that meets or exceeds the AMOs for ELA and Math for all students and all subgroups should continue to strive for the long term goal of 100% of students proficient or above in 2014. The school also must continue to test at least 95% of their students each year and meet the other Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.

20. How is the Graduation Rate calculated for Adequate Yearly Progress? • The formula for calculating the Graduation Rate is: (1) High school graduates, divided by (2) high school graduates PLUS dropouts from each of the four previous years. • The CDE will calculate this rate based on CBEDS data, which is available on the CDE web site under the Educational Demographics heading. continued on next page

21. continued from previous page • A high school or district with high school students must show an increase in the Graduation Rate by one tenth of one percent to make AYP for a year (until 100% is reached). • In this example, the school had 100 graduates in 2002 plus 10 dropouts from the four previous years for a rate of 90.9%. In 2003, the school had 120 graduates plus 11 dropouts for a rate of 91.6%. The change in the rate from 2002 to 2003 was an increase of .7%. The school met the graduation requirement because .7% exceeds the .1% requirement. (see next 2 slides for details)

22. Graduation Rate • Four year graduation rate as required by NCLB: High School Graduates, year 4 [ High School Graduates, year 4 + (Grade 9 Dropouts, year 1 + Grade 10 Dropouts, year 2 + Grade 11 Dropouts, year 3 + Grade 12 Dropouts, year 4) ]

23. Graduation Rate Example 2002 2003 100 / (100+2+1+3+4) = 90.9% Grad Rate 120 / (120+5+2+1+3) = 91.6% Grad Rate Change in rate: 91.6% - 90.9% = .7% Must increase Grad Rate by at least .1% to meet requirement Met requirement

24. How will Adequate Yearly Progress be determined for small schools? • For Adequate Yearly Progress reporting, small schools are those with fewer than 100 valid scores. This includes high schools with fewer than 100 valid scores on the grade 10 CAHSEE. • School results with a small number of scores tend to fluctuate. • For these schools, California’s NCLB accountability plan requires that determination of AYP be based on statistical procedures to adjust for fluctuations. • These procedures are available on CDE’s Adequate Yearly Progress web site at: www.cde.ca.gov/ayp/ (see next slide for details)

25. Schools With Fewer than 100 Valid Scores • School results with a small number of scores tend to fluctuate • For these schools, California’s NCLB accountability plan requires that determination of AYP be based on statistical procedures to adjust for fluctuations • These procedures are posted on CDE’s AYP Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ayp

26. Say that a non-Title I school failed to make AYP 2001-02. Then that same school became a Title I school the following year in 2002-2003, but it again failed to make AYP. Would that school be identified for Program Improvement (or PI)? • No. • That school would not be identified as a PI school. • A school must receive Title I funds in order for the NCLB requirements for Program Improvement identification to apply. • The school must be a Title I school for two consecutive years and fail to make AYP for both years in order to be identified as a PI school.

27. What if there is only one numerically significant subgroup from a school that fails one component of the AYP (such as the annual measurable objective in math) for two consecutive years. Would the school be identified as a PI school? • Yes. • All components of the AYP must be met annually by Title I schools (one component is for high schools only). • If a Title I school fails one component for two consecutive years, the school will be identified as a PI school.

28. If the 2002 base AYP report indicates that a school is at risk of being identified for Program Improvement, should the district begin the process of offering choice? • No. • The 2002 base AYP report, however does provide an opportunity for the district and school to take some early steps to prepare for the possibility of a school being identified as a PI school in the August 2003 AYP Report. • For example, the district could draft a parent notification letter, it could investigate choice options within the district, and it could review the current school plan for possible changes to strengthen its educational programs.

29. When should a PI school (either newly identified or advancing) be required to implement choice, supplemental services, or corrective action as appropriate? • The district and school should move to implement the appropriate NCLB requirement immediately upon notification that the school has failed to meet AYP as indicated in the August, October, or final December 2003 AYP reports, whichever occurs first.