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NCLB Report

No Child Left Behind in New Jersey

How Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Is Calculated

Calculating AYP
Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, every state is required to create assessments aligned to the state’s academic standards in language arts and mathematics for grades three to eight, as well as once in grades 10-12. New Jersey uses the NJ Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) for grades

3-8, and the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). For each grade span (3-5, 6-8, 11), the state must set benchmarks for proficiency in each content area. Student scores are grouped into three categories – partially proficient, proficient, and advanced proficient. The goal is for all students to be proficient in language arts literacy and mathematics by the year 2014.

Proficiency levels increase incrementally from the baseline level to 100% proficiency by 2014. Proficiency levels must be met by the total student population and by various student subgroups. The subgroups are as follows: students with disabilities, limited English proficient, economically disadvantaged, white, African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Native American, Hispanic, and other. The proficiency targets are adjusted in equal increments three years apart.

In addition to assessment results, states must also designate one additional measure of academic progress. For high schools it is the graduation rate. New Jersey has received approval to use the dropout rate as the high school secondary measure until it can show a four-year picture for the graduation rate. For elementary and middle schools, the secondary measure is attendance.

Under NCLB, every school must be evaluated annually to see if it has made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the state benchmarks. States must calculate the percentage of students in each school who meet proficiency standards for the total student population and each student subgroup. The secondary indicator is also measured along with test participation. At least 95% of the students in the total student population and each subgroup must take the test for the school to make AYP. If the total student population and each subgroup meet or exceed the statewide performance and participation goals in language arts literacy and mathematics, plus the secondary indicator, the school has made AYP.

Data for grade spans is aggregated for the AYP calculation. For example, data from grades 3, 4, and 5 are aggregated for a K-5 school.

Allowable Adjustments
In calculating AYP, there are several adjustments allowed under the law.

  • Confidence Interval: To protect against the misidentification of a school, a 95% confidence interval is applied as a margin of error in its AYP calculations. For each assessment proficiency, there is a plus or minus error rate that is allowed when determining whether the target has been met. The error rate ensures the same level of accuracy for all groups being assessed.
  • Minimum Subgroup Size: The states were allowed to set a minimum number for the size of a student subgroup. New Jersey set this number or “n” at 30 for performance. Any subgroup with fewer than 30 students will not be counted for AYP purposes. For participation, the “n” is 40 for all subgroups. Participation averaging may be applied. (see below)
  • Safe Harbor: If a school does not meet the statewide goal in a given year, the school will still make AYP if it has reduced the percentage of students who are partially proficient by 10% from the previous year. This applies to the total student population and each subgroup. The secondary indicator must also be met. A school can steadily decrease its percentage of students who are partially proficient every year and make AYP based on the school’s continuous improvement. A confidence interval also is applied to the safe harbor calculation.
  • Time in School: Schools are accountable for the performance of students who have been enrolled in the school for at least one full academic year. To be counted for AYP, students must be registered by July 1. Certain exceptions apply.
  • High School Banking: High school students may participate in three administrations of the HSPA to score proficient.
  • Participation Averaging: Schools that miss AYP for participation alone are considered for this adjustment. Three years are averaged to achieve 95% participation.

    • For additional information, please visit the NJDOE Web site at www.state.nj.us/education/titleI/accountability/ayp/1011/understanding.pdf

Status of Schools Based on AYP
In the base year, the state assessment data are analyzed to determine AYP. For Title I schools that are not making AYP, the states are required to apply interventions based on the number of consecutive years that a school did not meet the proficiency levels.
NCLB/Title I
School Improvement Continuum Chart

Year Status Interventions for Title I Schools
Year 1 Early Warning – Did not make AYP for one year None
Year 2 First year of school in need of improvement status. Did not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same content area. Parent notification, public school choice (or supplemental educational services), school improvement plan, technical assistance from district.
Year 3 Second year of school in need of improvement status. Did not make AYP for three consecutive years in the same content area. Parent notification, public school choice, supplemental educational services, school improvement plan, technical assistance from district.
Year 4 Third year of school in need of improvement status – corrective action. Did not make AYP for four consecutive years in the same content area. Parent notification, public school choice, supplemental educational services, school improvement plan, technical assistance from district and state, corrective action, participation in CAPA.
Year 5 Fourth year of school in need of improvement status – school restructuring plan. Did not make AYP for five consecutive years in the same content area. Parent notification, public school choice, supplemental educational services, school improvement plan, technical assistance from district and state, development of restructuring plan (governance).
Year 6 and above Fifth year of school in need of improvement status – implementation of restructuring plan. Did not make AYP for six consecutive years in the same content area. Parent notification, public school choice, supplemental educational services, school improvement plan, technical assistance from district and state, implementation of restructuring plan.

Title I schools must apply the interventions listed on the School Improvement Continuum Chart if they do not make AYP for two or more consecutive years in the same content area and are identified as a school in need of improvement (SINI). When a school makes AYP in a given year in the content area that placed the school into improvement, the school goes into “hold” status for a year at the current step. If the school makes AYP for two consecutive years in that content area, it is then considered no longer in need of improvement, unless it misses in the other content area for two consecutive years. If the school on hold does not make AYP the next year in that content area, then it goes back to the step it was on and proceeds along the continuum above. Each content area is measured separately to determine improvement status. That is, a school can come out of improvement status in language arts literacy and go into improvement for mathematics.

NCLB/Title I
District Improvement Continuum Chart *

Year Status Interventions for Title I Districts
1 Early Warning – Did not make AYP for one year None
2 LEA Improvement –(DINI 1): Did not make AYP for two years. Parent notification; develop a district improvement plan to analyze and address leadership, governance, fiscal infrastructures, curriculum, and instruction. The plan must address the needs of the low-achieving students, instructional strategies, professional development, and fiscal responsibilities the district will use to bring about increased student academic achievement.
3 LEA Improvement –(DINI 2): Did not make AYP for three years. Parent notification; revise the district improvement plan, as indicated.
4 and above District Corrective Action: Did not make AYP for four or more years. Parent notification; state notification to the district; state takes one of the following actions:
  • Defer funding
  • Implement a new curriculum
  • Replace LEA personnel
  • Appoint a Highly Skilled Professional

* Does not apply to single-school districts. The NCLB school improvement interventions apply to these districts.