The New York State Education Department 2006-07 Accountability Decisions and Student Information Repository System September 20, 2007

2006-07 Certification Process Superintendents must certify three data sets: Grades 3-8 data for accountability in ELA, mathematics, and science High school accountability data for participation and performance in ELA and mathematics and for graduation rate High School Total Cohort data for graduation rate, English and mathematics

3-8 Accountability Certification Previews of the accountability section of the report card Accountability Verification Report counts of tested, not tested students for all enrolled students (participation rate) Counts of students by performance level Individual student records for all continuously enrolled students showing subgroup membership, ELA, mathematics, and science test results

Certification Please check the appropriate certification statement: Based on my review of the most recent reports, I certify the accuracy of the data on which the elementary/middle level Adequate Yearly Progress decisions for my district and schools are based. I identified data errors on the most recent reports and I have submitted corrections for these errors. I certify the accuracy of the data, with these corrections, on which the elementary/middle level Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) decisions for my district and schools are based. I cannot certify my data but I understand that the deadline for making corrections has passed and my Level 1 Repository operator will move my data to Level 2 for use in making accountability decisions. The Level 1 operators have been instructed to forward data because, according to Commissioner’s Regulations, failure to submit data by the deadline will automatically result in the district/school not making AYP.

Certification Timeline Districts must certify accuracy of grades 3-8 data — Sept 27 High school accountability data — TBD Total Cohort Data — TBD SED expects the list of schools in improvement status at the elementary/middle level to be released between October 4 and 11

Problems with nySTART Many districts and schools have reported difficulties with accessing reports Grow is establishing a help desk for accessing reports beginning Friday morning, the 21st at 8:00 am Toll Free Telephone Number: 800-289-5813 Email address: nystartsupport@grow.net

Certification Timeline Latest Information: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/accountability/2006-07/timeline.html.

2006-07 High School Accountability Verification Previews of the accountability section of the report card for secondary level Cohort Accountability Verification Report Individual student records for cohort members and grade 12 students showing subgroup membership, ELA, mathematics, and credentials earned Counts of Tested, Not tested for 12th graders (participation rate) Counts of 2003 cohort members by ELA and math performance levels Counts of 2002 cohort members who graduated

2006-07 ELA and Math High School Accountability What data are important? Students who first entered grade 9 in 2003 (or ungraded students who turned 17 in that school year) Enrollment records: Student must have been enrolled in district/school during the 2006-07 school year ELA and math test results used to meet graduation requirements

2006-07 High School Participation Accountability What data are important? Students who were in grade 12 on June 30, 2007 or graduated between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. Enrollment records ELA and math test results used to meet graduation requirements

2006-07 Graduation-Rate Accountability What data are important? Students who first entered grade 9 in 2002 (or ungraded students who turned 17 in that school year) Enrollment records: Student must have been enrolled in district/school during the 2005-06 school year Record showing credential earned

Verification of Total Cohort Data

2007-08 High School Accountability

2003 Total Cohort Beginning with the 2003 graduation-rate cohort (used for accountability in 2007-08): students are included in the cohort based on the year they first enter grade 9 (or for ungraded students, the year they turn 17). students who have spent at least five months in a district/school during year 1, 2, 3, or 4 of high school are part of the district/school cohort unless they transfer to another diploma-granting program.

Inclusion Rules for the 2003 Total Cohort A student will be included in the district/school cohort if the student’s last enrollment record in the district or school shows: that the student was enrolled for at least five continuous (not including July and August) months and the ending reason was not one of the following: transferred to another New York State district or school, died, transferred by court order, or left the U.S. fewer than five month’s enrollment and an ending reason indicating that the student dropped out or transferred to a GED program and the student’s previous enrollment record in that district/school (assuming one exists): indicates that the student dropped out or transferred to a GED program, and that the student was enrolled in the district/school for at least five months.

2003 Total Cohort What data are important? Students who first entered grade 9 in 2003 (or ungraded students who turned 17 in that school year) Enrollment records: must provide records for any such student enrolled in your school or district from 2003-04 on. ELA and math test results used to meet graduation requirements Records of credentials earned and reasons for discharge

2003 Total Cohort Examples Students included in the West High School cohort: A student who entered grade 9 at the school in September 2003 and dropped out in the March 2004 and did not reenter a diploma-granting program (enrolled for five months). A student who entered grade 9 at another school in September 2003 and transferred to West in September 2006 and remained enrolled until February 2007 (enrolled for five months).

2003 Total Cohort Examples Students not included in the West High School cohort: A student who entered grade 9 at the school in September 2003 and dropped out in December 2003 and did not reenter a degree-granting program (not enrolled for five months). A student who entered grade 9 at another school in September 2003 and transferred to West in September 2006 and dropped out in December 2006 (not enrolled for five months).

Student Information Repository System

Policy on Access to Level 2 Data Level 2 comprises individual student records with names, local IDs, statewide unique IDs Level 2 is the source of data for nySTART reports SED staff will view data on Level 2 to program and/or check the accuracy of verification reports

Policy on Access to Level 3 Data Level 3 is a replica of Level 2 without student names and with encrypted local and statewide unique IDs Level 3 includes verified data and is the source of data for report cards, final accountability decisions, and other reports Authorized SED staff will view data on Level 3 for reporting and analysis

New Data Requirements Special education data—2007-08 verification reports will be written by Department staff and access will be accessed through the same VESID security system used in previous years to verify these data Enrollment Data—Repository and BEDS online will collected in parallel in 2007-08; BEDS online will be official data

New Data Requirements--continued Violent and disruptive data—SED staff are contracting for manager to develop plan for data collection; collection will not start before 2008-09 Attendance data—SED staff are working on policy for data collection; collection will not start before 2008-09

Contacts for Further Information The New York State Report Card, contact the School Report Card Coordinator at rptcard@mail.nysed.gov New York State assessments, go to the Office of State Assessment web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa Federal No Child Left Behind legislation, go to the United States Department of Education web site at www.ed.gov Data collection and reporting for New York State, go to the Information and Reporting Services web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts or contact Clara Browne at mmusser@mail.nysed.gov or (518) 474-7965 Accountability, contact Ira Schwartz at ischwart@mail.nysed.gov or (718) 722-2796