Calculating AYP for 2003-2004
Adequate Yearly Progress refers to the performance goals that schools are expected to achieve under state and federal law. The federal "No Child Left Behind" legislation passed in 2002 mandates that by 2014 all students in Illinois schools must meet or exceed Illinois Learning Standards in both reading and math. To achieve that goal, schools are required to make continuous improvement ("adequate yearly progress") on a fixed scale of increasing achievement. To make AYP in 2003-2004, a school had to meet three basic benchmarks:
1. Performance goals: 40% or more of all students in the school must meet or exceed standards in reading and math tests.
And at least 37% of students in the school in each of the NCLB-designated student subgroups of students must meet or exceed
the standards. The student subgroups are: white, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, LEP, IEP, and Low
Income. The actual required level for student subgroups is 37% in order to allow for statistical variation in smaller
numbers of test-takers of subgroups, but the required level remains at 40% for the total composite student performance.
Thus, to make AYP, schools had to achieve 18 hurdles: meeting or exceeding standards for 9 groups/subgroups on two
assessments = 18.
Important:
To assure statistical reliability, student subgroup size in each district or school must equal at least 40 students or the school/district is exempt from requirements for that subgroup.
It is important to note that the minimum 40 student subgroup size for AYP assessments for a school is based on the total of all students in that subgroup in the building taking each assessment, not in each grade. Thus, in a K-6 building, the 40 or more student subgroup size is calculated based on the total number of students in that subgroup in all grades taking the reading assessment (e.g. students in grade 3 plus grade 5 in a K-6 building). The same holds true for all students taking the mathematics exam. Regardless of student group size, however, schools and districts are still accountable for meeting the performance requirement for aggregate student results.
2. Participation rate: at least 95% of students in the school must take the tests.
3. A secondary indicator must be met, depending on the type of school:
Elementary and Middle schools must have an attendance rate of at least 88% in 2003 (rising to 92% by 2014).
High schools must have a graduation rate of at least 65% by 2003 (rising to 85% by 2014).
There is also a "safe harbor" provision by which schools that are otherwise not making AYP can still demonstrate acceptable improvement.
How does the IIRC help understand the AYP status of a school?
The IIRC offers three tools for understanding a school's Adequate Yearly Progress. You can view these for a school you have selected by clicking on "AYP & School Improvement" in the navigation bar above the school information banner. This gives you the following information options:
- AYP Report shows a school's percentages on each of the AYP criteria for all subgroups. This page also has an explanation of "Safe Harbor."
- AYP Ladder shows what composite numbers a school must attain each year in reading and mathematics in order to make AYP through 2014.
- AYP Steps specify the progress required for each of the nine subgroups in order to make AYP each year from 2003 to 2014.
The Rising Curve of NCLB Accountability
The standards for meeting AYP are mandated to rise over the period up to 2014 by NCLB. For detailed information you may consult the web sites accessible through the "Understanding NCLB" navigation tab on this IIRC navigation bar. Here is a general overview.
1.Performance Targets:
As currently specified in the State of Illinois' federally approved AYP plan, the minimum percent meets and exceeds for schools and districts in reading and in mathematics will increase in the following equal increments to comply with NCLB:
2. Participation rate:
Remains constant at 95%
3. Secondary indicators:
For elementary and middle schools, the minimum attendance rate rises in the following increments:
For high schools, the graduate rate rises in the following increments:
