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2009-2010 AYP Reports (Grades 3-8) and 2010-2011 AYP Reporting

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO:   121
POLICY CODE: GCD

TO:         Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Curriculum Coordinators, Elementary and Middle School Principals, and Guidance Directors
FROM:   Angela Faherty, Acting Commissioner
DATE:    May 5, 2010
SUBJECT: 2009-2010 AYP Reports (Grades 3-8) and 2010-2011 AYP Reporting

Key Points Covered In this Informational Letter:

  • Delivery of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Reports for Grade 3-8
  • Review of Assessment Reports Data
  • Formula for Determining AYP
  • SAU AYP reports
  • 2009-2010 Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO)

Delivery of AYP Reports

Information related to the 2009-2010 AYP of Maine’s public schools, grades 3-8,  has been mailed from Measured Progress, Maine’s assessment contractor, to superintendents’ and principals’ offices.  These mailings contain:

  • Information listing the contents of the reports, and
  • Information and security pass codes for accessing 2009-2010 AYP school and SAU reports for grades 3-8.

Information related to 2009-2010 AYP for grades 3-8 was made available on the Measured Progress website on Friday, April 30, 2010.  Information related to high school AYP reports will be provided at a later date, following the release of high school assessment data.

SAU and School Review of Assessment Reports Data

Schools and SAUs were provided with the usual 10 business day review period prior to the Department’s verification of the accuracy of New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP).  All student-related data were  provided through the Department’s Infinite Campus State Edition Data on October 1, 2009 and were used to report demographic coding in the student level testing and teaching year reports.  Requests for data verifications which were received during the review period are being finalized and any necessary adjustments will be reflected in the public release of the 2010-2011 school and SAU AYP status report, following high school AYP determinations.  Any additional questions related to student coding must be submitted by email to Rachelle Tome at rachelle.tome@maine.gov no later than May 14th. 

Formula for Determining AYP

The formula for determining AYP includes 3 components:

  • Participation: The percentage for student participation in state and federal required academic assessments remains at 95%. This calculation in grades 3-8 will be based on the total number of grade 3-8 students participating in assessments compared to the total number of grade 3-8 students enrolled in the school, as reported in the NECAP fall 2009 testing year file.  A minimum n-size of 41 applies to all subgroups reviewed for AYP reporting.
  • Performance:  School performance for grades 3-8 will be evaluated for Reading and Mathematics by using the total number of students tested in the school and the total number of students in the school who met or exceeded approved achievement standards, based on data from the NECAP fall 2009 teaching year file and the 2008-2009 Personalized Alternative Assessment Portfolio (PAAP) file.  A minimum n-size of 20 applies to all subgroups. A percentage of proficiency will be calculated for each subgroup.  Groups that meet or exceed the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) 2009-2010 for Reading and Mathematics will make AYP. As in the past, for those subgroups not meeting the AMO, a 95% confidence interval will be calculated on the percentage proficient for the group.  If the AMO is met or exceeded as a result of this calculation, the subgroups will make AYP.  Subgroups that do not make AYP by these calculations will then be reviewed for Safe Harbor.  To determine eligibility for Safe Harbor, the subgroup performance for 2009-2010 is compared to the performance from 2008-2009.  The percentage of students not meeting standards must decrease by at least 10%. The calculation for Safe Harbor remains the same as in past years.
  • Additional Indicator:  Average Daily Attendance (ADA) will be used for the additional indicator for grades 3-8.  Data for the 2009-2010 AYP reports will be based on the ADA reports that were due to the Department by June 19, 2009.  The percentage for attendance required to meet the ADA target is 92%. 
  • For schools with both grade 3-8 students and high school students, an AYP determination is made for each group separately. School AYP status will be based on the determination of both groups. In order to make AYP for the school, both the grade 3-8 and the high school groups will have to make AYP.
  • For schools having only non-tested grades (PreK-2), the AYP status of the school to which these students go in grade 3 will be assigned to the non-tested school.

SAU AYP Status

SAU AYP reports will be provided for students tested in grades 3-8.  SAU AYP status is calculated and reported for the following levels: Elementary (Grades 3-5), Middle (Grades 6-8) and High School.  Final SAU status will be determined following the release of 2009-2010 high school AYP status.

Adjusted Measurable Objectives (AMO) for 2009-2010 AYP

The adjusted AMOs for 2009-2010 are as follows:
           
Grade 3-8 Reading       66%     Grade 3-8 Mathematics            60%

AMOs for future years can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/nclb/schoolimprovement/ayptargets.htm

For Assistance:

The following people are available for follow-up questions:

AYP and student-level issues- Rachelle Tome, ESEA Title I and Accountability Director, at rachelle.tome@maine.gov or 624-6705;

NECAP questions- Susan Smith, NECAP Coordinator, at susan.smith@maine.gov or 624-6775;

PAAP questions-Susan Fossett, Alternate Assessment (PAAP) Coordinator, susan.fossett@maine.gov or 624-6774