1. Update on Middle Level Accountability May 2006

2. “…to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments” Purpose of No Child Left Behind

3. Developing Better Citizens Is Seen As A More Critical Goal For Schools There are two important tasks in public schools today – developing better citizens and improving achievement. If you had to prioritize, which would you say is more critical to the future of the country – developing better citizens or improving achievement? N=1,000N=1,000 – March 2004 AASA Polling by Ipsos Public Affairs, August 2004

4. Basic Rules for State and Federal Accountability Improvement Status Identification A school that fails to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years in the same level and subject is identified for improvement. If a previously identified school fails to make AYP in the level and subject in which it was identified, it moves to the next highest status on the continuum. If an identified school makes AYP, it remains in the same status on the continuum. To be removed from improvement status in a subject and level, the school must make AYP in that subject and level for two consecutive years. The school may remain or be placed in improvement status in another subject and/or level for which it has not made AYP.

5. Sample Identifications of School for Improvement Status School A fails to make AYP in the following groups: –Grade 4 ELA White Students in 2004–05 –Grade 3-8 Math Economically Disadvantaged Students in 2005–06 School A is not identified for improvement because it has not failed to make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject and level. School B fails to make AYP in the following groups: –Grade 4 ELA Asian Students in 2004–05 –Grade 3-8 ELA LEP Students in 2005–06 School B is identified for improvement because it has failed to make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject and grade (grade 4 ELA).

6. Grades and Levels For 2002-2003, 2003-2004, and 2004-05 School Years, NY had three grade levels: –Elementary (Grade 4) –Middle (Grade 8) –High School Beginning in 2005-2006, NY has two grade levels: - Elementary-Middle (Grades 3-8) - High School

7. Each district is treated as if it were “one big school.” District accountability is computed by subject (i.e. ELA) not by subject and level (i.e. ELA 3-8) as is the case for school accountability The district results are aggregated for all students attending school in the district as well as continuously enrolled students the district places outside of the school district (e.g., in BOCES, approved private placements). For a district to make AYP in a subject it must make AYP at any level in that subject. For example, if a district makes AYP in Grade 3-8 ELA and fails to make AYP in High School ELA, it still gets credit for making AYP in ELA. Beginning with 2005-06, there are only “two bites at the apple,” not three. District-Level Accountability

8. Federal Status Restructuring6 Planning for Restructuring5 Corrective Action4 School in Need of Improvement (SINI) — Year 2 3 School in Need of Improvement (SINI) — Year 1 2* Good Standing1 Status Years of Failure Under Title I to Make AYP in a Subject and Grade *A school must fail to make AYP for two consecutive years to be placed in improvement status. A school that makes AYP for two consecutive years is removed from improvement status for the subject and grade in which it was identified.

9. State Status SRAP 5 - Restructuring6 SRAP 4 - Planning for Restructuring 5 SRAP 3 – Corrective Action4 SRAP — Year 23 School Requiring Academic Progress (SRAP) — Year 1 2* Good Standing1 Status Years of Failure Under Title I to Make AYP in a Subject and Grade *SRAPs are not required to offer choice or SES.

10. Holding Schools Accountable: The Bottom Line How Many Schools Made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Overall, the percentage of schools making AYP on all measures increased from 75.0 to 83.1%.

11. Grade 3-8 Testing: What We Know Now We must begin to use Grade 3-8 Results for Accountability Purposes beginning with the 2005-2006 School Year We have sought USDOE approval to: –Create a single Performance Index for ELA and a single Performance Index for math to measure performance of elementary and middle schools. –Adjust AMO’s and Safe Harbors to reflect new Performance Index. We will not be one of the states piloting the use of a growth model.

12. Things We Don’t Know as of May 2006 What will be the Grade 3-8 AMOs for 2005-2006 and beyond? What will be the Safe Harbor targets for schools in 2005-2006?

13. Calculating the Grade 3-8 Performance Index GradeNumber Levels of Students 1234 66014142012 7806124022 8601220208 TOTAL20032468042 Total % 16% 23% 40% 21% Index = (23+40+21+40+21)=145

14. Calculating the Grade 3-8 Performance Index for SWDs GradeNumber Levels of Students 1234 6105500 7158520 81521030 TOTAL40152050 Total % 38% 50% 13% 0% Index = 76

15. Students with Disabilities: Percent of Schools Not Making AYP 2003-04

16. School YearElementary-LevelMiddle-LevelSecondary-Level ELAMathELAMathELAMath 2004–0513114211693148139 2005–06138149126105154146 2006–07146155135117159152 2007–08154162144129165159 2008–09162168154141171166 2009–10169174163152177173 2010–11177181172164183180 2011–12185187181176188186 2012–13192194191188194193 2013–14200200200200200200 Annual Measurable Objectives for 2004–05 to 2013–14

17. School YearElementary & Middle-LevelSecondary-Level ELAMathELAMath 2005–06XX154146 2006–07XX159152 2007–08XX165159 2008–09X+YX+Y171166 2009–10X+2YX+2Y177173 2010–11X+3YX+3Y183180 2011–12X+4YX+4Y188186 2012–13X+5YX+5Y194193 2013–14200200200200 Annual Measurable Objectives for 2005–06 to 2013–14

18. –STEP 1: Determine the percentage of students who are enrolled in buildings below the Grade 4 and 8 2004- 2005 AMOs. –STEP 2: Using 2005-06 Grade 3-8 Performance Index, determine the AMO which would result in the same percentage of students being enrolled in schools below that AMO as were enrolled in schools below the AMO in 2004-2005. –STEP 3: Maintain same AMO for 2006-07 and then increment annually beginning in 2008-2009 to reach 200 in 2013-14 Possible Adjustment Strategy for AMO

19. Example: –In 2004-2005 the Grade 4 ELA AMO is 131 and the Grade 8 ELA AMO is 116. –Assume that 7,000 out of 100,000 4th graders are enrolled in schools that have a PI for the all student group below 131 and 11,000 out of 100,000 8th graders are enrolled in schools with a PI below 116. Therefore, 9% ((7,000+11,000)/200,000) of students are enrolled in schools below the AMO. –Calculate the grade 3-8 PI for all schools using 2005-06 results. Array schools from highest to lowest performing. –Assume that 9% of grade 3-8 students are enrolled in schools with a PI below 118. –The AMO for 2005-2006 will be 118.

20. Modified Standards and Assessments for Students with Disabilities USDOE is preparing regulations to permit the use of modified standards and assessments with up to 2% of a State’s students (i.e. the 2% cap.) For 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years, states can apply to USDOE for permission to make a statistical adjustment to the performance of the SWD subgroup. In 2004-2005, NY applied and received permission to use the adjustment for Grade 4 ELA and math and Grade 8 ELA results only. In NY, the adjustment results in an addition of 34 points to the Performance Index of the SWD subgroup. For 2005-2006, NY has asked for permission to use the 34 point adjustment for both Grade 3-8 ELA and math. The adjustment was available only if the sole reason a school or district fails to make AYP on an accountability criterion was the academic performance of the SWD subgroup. If the adjusted index for the SWD subgroup exceeds the AMO then the school or district is deemed to have made AYP on that accountability criterion..

21. Testing Students with Disabilities: 2005-06 Students should be reported for assessment and accountability purposes as ungraded if: The student participates in the New York State Alternate Assessment The student is receiving instruction in both ELA and math that is at least three years below that of their non-disabled peers because of the student’s cognitive deficits or intellectual capacity. If the student is ungraded, the student should be administered the assessments that are two years below those typically taken by their non-disabled peers. It is anticipated that only a small percentage of students will be reported as ungraded. Testing procedures for 2006-07 are TBD.

22. Scheduled Changes to NCLB Accountability Workbook Attendance Rate becomes third academic indicator for elementary and middle grades in 2007-2008. Beginning with 2002 accountability cohort, ELA and math cohort defined as students who were first enrolled in ninth grade four years previously and were enrolled in a school on BEDS day of year four. (Used to determine whether school made AYP in 2005-2006.) Beginning with 2003 graduation cohort (used to determine AYP in 2007-2008), a student is included in the cohort based on the year they first enter grade 9. A student who has spent at least five months in a district/school in that year or in year 2, 3, or 4 is part of the district/school cohort unless they transfer to another diploma-granting program.

23. Implications of Changes Graduation Rate and ELA and math accountability cohort will become more independent. Accountability cohort will include more students who transfer into a school but will exclude more dropouts. Graduation cohort will include more students who drop out.

24. NCLB Amendments Requests Submitted to USDOE Make AYP determinations after the start of the 2006-2007 school year for Grade 3-8 Assessments. Transition from science to attendance in 2007-2008 and use both for one year during transition. Revise definition of LEP and SWD subgroup once student data repository is in place to include former LEP and SWD students. Eliminate use of first test score for high school cohort. Combine Grade 4 and 8 Science into a single indicator.

25. Be on the Lookout in 2006-07 For: New rules for participation of LEP students in ELA assessments. New guidance on testing of ungraded SWDs. Announcement of new graduation rate standards and attendance standards.

26. Challenges Ahead Single Grade 3-8 Performance Index makes schools and districts responsible for more disaggregated groups. New standard setting for grade 3-8 assessments may challenge middle schools even more. Changes in testing practices for LEP students may require greater emphasis on rapid English acquisition than bilingual fluency. New graduation standards will raise expectations for middle schools.

27. How to Get Ahead of the Wave Ensure The Rules are Understood by the Persons who Are Accountable Have a Process in Place to Ensure Data is Accurate Adapt and Adjust to New Circumstances Be Prepared to Abandon Some Old Favorites Keep Watching the Horizon Be Prepared to Deal with Uncertainty Remember: Good Instruction Usually Leads to Good Accountability Results

28. If You Take Away Nothing Else.. If a schools fails to make AYP, it is most often because of the performance of its most vulnerable populations, but Systemic problems most often manifest themselves in the most vulnerable populations.

29. More Information Ira Schwartz, Coordinator Accountability, Policy, and Administration New York State Education Department Office of School Improvement and Community Services ischwart@mail.nysed.gov 718 722-2796