UNDERSTANDING
YOUR SCHOOL/DISTRICT REPORT CARD
APRIL 2006
Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education
Information and Reporting Services
Room 863 EBA
(518) 474-7965
The New York State School/District Report Card
is an important part of the Board of Regents effort to raise learning standards
(see definition of learning standards in the Q & A) for all students. It is
designed to provide information to the public on student performance on State
tests and other measures of school and district performance. Knowledge gained
from the report card on a school/district’s strengths and weaknesses can be
used to plan professional development, improve curriculum, and allocate
resources.
While the report card can assist in performing these
important functions, misuse of the information on the report card can result in
harmful programmatic decisions. When reviewing school/district performance,
consider that student academic readiness, motivation, and family and community
support vary among schools/districts and significantly affect performance.
Though the report card can indicate how well students performed against
measured standards (e.g., State tests), it does not provide information about
student performance on other measures valued by the community. As such,
decisions about school/district programs are better made by combining
information about performance with information gained by visiting the school. Reviewers
of the report card should also note that small differences among
schools/districts and small year-to-year changes are not meaningful.
This
year’s report card is composed of complementary parts:
¨
an Overview
of School/District Performance in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and
Science and Analysis of Student Subgroup Performance (Overview and Analysis);
¨
a
school/district Accountability Status Report;
¨
a
school/district Comprehensive Information Report (CIR); and
¨
a district Fiscal Accountability Supplement.
The Overview reports the performance of
students in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, school/district
enrollments, and school/district demographic data. It also reports the performance
of students in science at the elementary and middle levels. The Overview includes graduation rates for
groups of students who first entered grade 9 in the same school year (cohorts).
In addition, the Overview includes the percentage of core classes taught
by highly qualified teachers and the percentage of teachers with no valid
teaching certificate. School data and district data are provided in separate
reports: the School Report Card and the District Report Card. The
school report compares the school's results with those
of similar schools (see definition of similar schools in the Q & A), and
the companion district report compares school district results with statewide
results. The Analysis reports
English, mathematics, and elementary- and middle-level science performance data
and graduation-rate data for students grouped by race/ethnicity, disability
status, gender, English proficiency status, income level, and migrant status.
The Accountability Status Report
indicates whether a school/district made adequate yearly progress (AYP) in
2004–05. It also identifies schools/districts in need of improvement and subject
to interventions under the federal No Child Left Behind
Act and schools/districts requiring academic progress and subject to
interventions under Commissioner’s Regulations for the 2005–06 school year.
The Comprehensive Information Report (CIR) reports three years of results on
all State tests not included in the Overview
and Analysis, including second language proficiency examinations, Regents
competency tests, Regents examinations, elementary- and middle-level social
studies tests, and New York State Alternate Assessments for students with
severe disabilities. The CIR also
provides information on career development and occupational studies; high
school completers; attendance, suspension, and dropout rates; student
enrollments and demographics; and professional staff.
The Fiscal
Accountability Supplement
reports district-wide expenditures per pupil compared to similar districts and
district-wide percentages of students with disabilities receiving services
outside of general classroom settings compared to statewide percentages.
Q. What are the learning standards?
A. The learning standards are descriptions of broad expectations of
what students should know, understand, and be able to do at each grade level in
seven subject areas as they progress through grades K-12 in
Q. What is the relationship
between the district/school report card and the learning standards?
A. Both are part of the statewide strategy for raising the level of
student achievement. The strategy
includes:
¨
establishing
standards in seven subject areas;
¨
changing the
State tests to assess student progress toward achieving these higher standards;
¨
raising high
school graduation requirements;
¨
building the
capacity of schools to help students achieve the standards;
¨
ensuring high
standards and support for teachers and administrators;
¨
building
partnerships to improve student achievement; and
¨
increasing school and district
accountability through public reporting of student performance.
Q. What is No Child Left Behind (NCLB)?
A. NCLB
is federal legislation that is designed to ensure that all students are proficient
in ELA and mathematics by 2013–14. District
and school performance on State tests in the 2004–05 school year were evaluated
using accountability criteria based on NCLB legislation. (Further information
on NCLB is available on the web: www.emsc.nysed.gov.)
Q. What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?
A. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) indicates acceptable progress
by a district/school toward the goal of proficiency for all students. To make
AYP at the elementary and middle levels, districts/schools must test 95 percent
of students enrolled on the day of testing in each accountability group with 40
or more students. To make AYP at the secondary level, districts/schools must
test 95 percent of students identified as seniors in the reporting year in each
accountability group with 40 or more students. In addition, the Performance Index
(PI) of each accountability group with 30 or more students must equal or exceed
its Effective Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) or the group must make
Q. What is the Performance Index (PI)?
A. Schools are assigned Performance Indices (PIs)
ranging from 0 to 200, based on the performance of continuously enrolled tested
students at the elementary and middle levels and cohort members at the
secondary level on State tests. Student scores on the tests are converted to four
achievement levels, from Level 1 (indicating no proficiency) to Level 4
(indicating advanced proficiency). Schools are given partial credit for
students scoring at Level 2 and full credit for students scoring at Level 3 or
Level 4. They receive no credit for students scoring at Level 1. Schools
improve their PI by decreasing the percentage of students scoring at Level 1
and increasing the percentages scoring at Levels 3 and 4.
Q. What is the Effective
Annual Measurable Objective (AMO)?
A. The Effective Annual
Measurable Objective (AMO) is the PI value that each
accountability group within a school or district is expected to achieve
to make AYP. The Effective AMO will be increased in regular increments
beginning in 2004–05.
Q. What is
A.
Q. What happens to districts/schools that do not make AYP?
A. Schools that fail to make AYP for two consecutive
years in the same grade and subject are placed in improvement status. Depending on the number of years the school has failed to make AYP, among other
requirements, it may have to develop a school improvement plan, provide public
school choice, provide Supplemental Education Services (SES), or take actions
that may include replacing school staff, instituting a new curriculum, or
restructuring the internal organization of the school. Districts that fail to
make AYP at every relevant grade level in a subject or fail to make AYP on
graduation rate for two consecutive years are placed in improvement status.
Districts in improvement status must develop an improvement plan and are
ineligible to provide SES for their students. More information is available on
the following Web site:
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/deputy/Documents/sch-acct-categories.htm.
Q. What are the accountability groups?
A. The accountability groups are all students and
students grouped by race/ethnicity, disability status, English proficiency
status, and income level. Gender and migrant status are disaggregated to report
results but are not used for accountability purposes.
Q. What
happens when there are too few students in a school to make a judgment about
the school’s performance?
A. If a school reports fewer
than 30 continuously enrolled students participating in a test, the school’s
achievement or progress is determined by combining student results over two
years in order to make the judgment on a minimum of 30 students. Data on small
groups of students cannot provide reliable information as to what extent the
school is providing a program that enables students in that group to meet the
Effective AMO. Release of these data would also jeopardize the anonymity of the
students.
Q. What are similar schools?
A. Similar schools are schools throughout the State that serve
similar students and have similar resources. Each school report card compares
the school’s performance with that of similar schools. The following factors
are considered in grouping schools: a) the grade levels served by the school,
b) rates of student poverty and limited English proficiency, and c) the income
and property wealth of district residents. Student poverty levels are indicated
by determining the percentage of children in the school who participate in the
free-lunch program.
Q. What
information is provided about students
with disabilities?
A. At the elementary and middle levels, the
performance of students with disabilities on the grades 4, 5, and 8 tests is
reported. At the secondary level, results for students with disabilities are
shown for all State tests and for diplomas earned. Students with disabilities
may use accommodations when taking State tests, if these accommodations are
specifically written in their individualized education program. The performance
of students with severe disabilities administered the New York State Alternate
Assessment (NYSAA) is also reported.
Q. How is
the performance of limited English
proficient (LEP) students assessed and reported?
A. At the elementary and middle levels, certain grades 4 and 8 LEP
students who are not ready to participate effectively in the academic program
are not required to take the State ELA test. Instead, their progress in
learning English is measured and reported using the New York State English as a
Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT). The school report card shows the
number of students in this category and the number who made appropriate progress
in learning English. The mathematics, science, and social studies tests are
translated into other languages for use by LEP students. At the secondary
level, all general-education students, including LEP students, who first
entered grade 9 in 1996–97 or later, will be required to score 55 or higher on
the Regents English examination. Alternative-language editions of all required
Regents examinations except English and of all Regents competency tests are
available. The NYSESLAT is also available at the secondary level to monitor the
achievement of LEP students.
Q. What are the State’s minimum requirements for earning a high school diploma?
A. To earn a high school diploma, students who entered grade 9 in
September 1999 must complete 20.5 units of study (one unit of study equals 180
minutes of instruction per week for one academic year). These units must
include four in English, two in mathematics, four in social studies, two in
science, one in the arts, one-half in health
education, and two in physical education. The remaining five units of study may
be in an elective of the student’s choice or, for a diploma with Regents
endorsement, courses that are part of the student’s required “sequences.” A
“sequence” is a series of units of study in a particular subject that generally
includes one unit of study beyond the core requirement. (For example, students
who take living environment and Earth science to fulfill their core requirement
of two units of study in science may take chemistry to complete a science sequence.)
To receive a Regents diploma, students must complete two sequences in their
subjects of choice and pass all Regents examinations relevant to those
sequences. (See the School
Administrator’s Manual at www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/assess.html for more
information.)
To earn a local diploma, general-education students who entered grade 9
in 1999 must also score 65 or higher on Regents examinations in five areas: English,
mathematics, global history and geography,
The Board of Regents also established safety net provisions for
students with disabilities, allowing these students to earn a local diploma by
passing Regents competency tests in the required subject areas.
Beginning with students who entered ninth grade in 2001, all students
will be required to score 55 or higher (with local Board approval) on at least
five Regents examinations and earn at least 22 units of credit, including four
units in English, three in mathematics, four in social studies, three in
science, one in the arts, one in a language other than English, one-half in
health, and two in physical education. These students will have to score 65 or
higher to earn a Regents diploma. Higher requirements have been established for
an advanced designation on the Regents diploma.
Q. How will school report
cards help parents ensure that their children’s schools are making AYP?
A. The school report card shows whether or not schools are making
AYP. Parents can use the school report cards to see how well each student
accountability group within the school is performing and whether or not student
performance is improving.
Q. How can parents help their
children meet higher standards?
A. Parents can help their children by talking with them and reading
aloud to them, if appropriate, asking teachers what is expected at school, and
monitoring their learning and homework.
Q. How can I get more
information on the school report card and the new higher standards?
A. You may call the State Education Department at (518) 474-7965 or e-mail us at the following address: rptcard@mail.nysed.gov. Copies of the New York State Report Card for all public schools and districts, information on the standards and new State assessments, and other information can be found on the Department’s web site: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts.
Elementary- and middle-level tests in English
language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies are designed to
determine whether students have reached the higher learning standards. The
tests challenge students to demonstrate their ability to read, write, and
listen, and to understand and apply information related to mathematics,
science, and social studies. The tests also show whether students are getting
the foundation knowledge they need to succeed in later grades.
On the elementary- and middle-level ELA,
mathematics, science, and social studies tests, performance is shown using four
levels (Level 1, indicating no proficiency, to Level 4, indicating advanced
proficiency), each encompassing a range of raw scores. The levels indicate how
well students are progressing toward meeting the learning standards. Mean
scores are also reported for these tests.
School districts must develop a plan for providing
appropriate academic intervention services to students who score at Level 1 or
Level 2 on the elementary- and middle-level ELA, mathematics, science, and
social studies tests.
The report card shows three years of results for all
State tests at the secondary (high school) level. Regents
examinations assess the achievement of students based on classes generally
taken in grades 9 through 12. A review of the results of these tests helps
schools to determine the quality of instruction they are providing to their
students and helps students to make educational and career decisions. The
Regents competency tests allow students with disabilities to show that they
have the knowledge and skills required for graduation under the safety net.
Second language proficiency examinations measure the performance of eighth- and
ninth-graders in learning a second language.
Attendance rate is the average daily attendance divided by the possible daily attendance.
Schools with higher attendance rates generally perform better on State tests. Suspension rate measures the rate of
school suspensions, which are the temporary exclusions of a student from school
for disciplinary reasons for a full school day or longer. Dropout rate measures the rate of dropouts, which refers to any student,
regardless of age, who left school prior to graduation for any reason except
death and did not enter another school or high school equivalency preparation
program or other diploma program.
The
State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age,
color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status,
national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or
sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities.
Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats,
including braille, large print or audiotape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of
nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office of
Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 152 Education Building,