Learning and Achievement: Assessment and Accountability

School Classification Indicators

High Schools and Early-Grade Schools Only

Essentially, RIDE is using two distinct sets of data. One is the 2005 Assessment data. The second set is the “Accountability data,” which differs in several ways from the Assessment data.

For accountability, RIDE uses three years of data rather than a single year. Also, the pool of students for Accountability differs in some respects from the pool of students for Assessment. For example, the Assessment data includes all students enrolled in the school at the time the tests are administered. For Accountability, the scores are counted only for students enrolled for the full school year.

The Accountability data is compiled in accordance with provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). RIDE has adopted an “Accountability Plan,” bringing the state into full compliance with NCLB. The complete plan is posted on the ride Web site. For more information on the RIDE and NCLB, see 2005 School and District Report Cards on the Web site, www.ride.ri.gov, where a brochure and a “technical bulletin” about RIDE’s accountability system are posted.

What you are looking at

The bar graph to the left – Index Scores and Targets – is based on RIDE’s “index proficiency score.” This index score, which can range from 0 to 100, is computed from New Standards Reference Exams (NSREs), which are part of the state assessments.

For each student test, every scoring level on the NSREs is given a point value:

Achieved the Standard with Honors = 100
Achieved the Standard = 100
Nearly Achieved the Standard = 75
Below the Standard = 50
Little Evidence of Achievement = 25
No Score = 0

By combining all student tests and all subtests, over a three-year period (2003-2005), RIDE computes for every school two sets of index scores, one in English language arts (ELA) and the other in mathematics.

As the bar graph shows, scores are calculated for the school as a whole (All Students) and for eight groups of students within each school.

As required by the No Child Left Behind Act, RIDE establishes an annual target in each subject area for each school level. The ELA and mathematics targets are shown by the horizontal lines on the graph.

When the bars rise above their respective lines, the school as a whole or the group of students within the school has met the annual target.

The bar graphs to the right show the school’s participation rate on each NSRE tests. The NCLB sets a participation-rate target of 95 percent.

The bar to the extreme right shows either the graduation rate of the high school. RIDE has set the 2005 target for graduation rate at 75.3 percent. (Data for the graduation rate are for the class of 2005, but the data are drawn from the past four years, from the time that class entered high school.)

For elementary and middle schools: Because state assessments were not administered in these schools in 2004-05, these schools reports show one indicator only: the 2004-05 attendance rate. RIDE has set the 2005 target for the attendance rate at 90 percent.

What you are looking for

The bars show you that each school is measured 21 times:

The school as a whole (All Students) must meet both the ELA and mathematics targets;

Each of the eight groups of students must meet both targets; the school as a whole must meet both participation targets;

The school as a whole must meet its graduation target. (Note that if a school has fewer that 45 students, over the three-year span, in any group, that group is given credit for meeting its targets.)

Under provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, if a school misses any of its targets it is classified has not made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP). If it misses targets for two years in a row, it has been “identified for school improvement,” and it may be subject to sanctions imposed by the NCLB, such as allowing parents to transfer their children to another school (School Choice). After three years, the school may have to provide free supplemental educational services such as tutoring. After four years, the school may face restructuring or other sanctions.

You are hoping to see that the school has met all of its targets – that each of the bars rises above the horizontal target lines on each of the graphs.

For elementary and middle schools: Because state assessments were not administered in these schools in 2004-05, these schools had to meet only the attendance target. Those that did so have made “adequate yearly progress” for 2004-05.

For a more detailed look at each school and its targets, see the 2005 School Report Cards – Accountability, at www.ride.ri.gov.