NCLB, API, and AYP
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Ten slides (click NCLB, API, and AYP, above) summarize two data-driven
aspects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. In 2002, Congress approved
NCLB. One of the many targets of NCLB was focused at the state level: strengthen
student assessment and school accountability for teaching and learning in the
state's public schools. The alphabet soup included in NCLB at the federal level
are
NCLB sought to determine the percentage of students in
each state who attained proficiency in Math and English/Language Arts (ELA) in a
given year.
In the Federal Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) system, Annual Measurable Objectives
(AMAO) reflect the percentage of students in several subgroups scoring at
Proficient and above. In the Federal AYP system, every school is expected to
have a minimum percentage of students scoring at Proficient level or above. This
percent floats upwards over time. For example, the Proficiency target for
English-Language Arts has floated from 13.6% to 24.4%, rising in 2008-09 to
35.2%, and eventually to 100% in 2013-14. Similarly, the target has floated from
16% to 26.5%, rising in 2008-09 to 37%, and eventually to 100% in 2013-14. All
student target groups must meet common targets. Much criticism has arisen over
state practices for excluding data from certain groups for state reporting.
Each state determined the way the state chose to illustrate this. California
created an Academic Performance Index (API) to do this. Each public school
receives a score between 200 and 1,000, based on the distribution of student
scores in grades 2-11 on the California Standardized Test (CST) across five
performance levels: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, and Far Below
Basic. For more information on California's assessment system, look at
http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/ . The concept for
improvement in California is a base API score and a growth target for the
following year. Each school is compared to its own past performance and to other
schools in a comparison called "similar schools ranking." The latter has come
under scrutiny.
Consider how your state has approached this issue. Your contribution in the
Discussions regarding your state's practices will help your colleagues broaden
their perspective