IDENTIFYING SCHOOLS FOR IMPROVEMENT 1999-2000

Annual Review of School Performance

Year of Testing: 1999-2000

Both state and federal law require the annual review of school performance to determine academic achievement and progress. This review is based on the WKCE scores of students enrolled in the school for a full academic year. To meet annual review requirements for 1999-2000, schools must meet one of the following criteria:

• 90% Rule. According to this rule, the percentage of students enrolled in the school for the full prior academic year who, in 1999-2000 scored at or above the "Proficient" level needs to be greater than or equal to the percentages in the table below:

90% Rule by Subject Area Tested and by Grade

The percentages in the above table are 90% of the 1997-98 statewide percent scoring at or above "Proficient." There were no annual review requirements to be met for language arts in 1997-98.

• Required CPI. The CPI, or "Continuous Progress Indicator," is a measure of the improvement in performance of successive groups of students in grades 4, 8, and 10. Schools are credited for improvement in the percent of students scoring at or above the "Proficient" category and for movement of students from the "Not Tested on WKCE" or "Minimal Performance" categories into the "Basic" category or above. Students excluded from WKCE who are performing at the "Prerequisite Skill/English" level (Alternate Assessment) are counted in the "Not Tested on WKCE" group for CPI computation purposes. The school's 1999-2000 CPI needs to greater than or equal to the Required CPI below:

CPI Requirements Per Academic Year

For 1999-2000, the "Baseline % Proficient + % Advanced" is the average of the school's "% Proficient + % Advanced" for 1997-98 and 1998-99. Schools at lower baseline achievement levels are expected to make more progress than other schools.

Note that three years of proficiency scores will be used to calculate the 1999-2000 CPI. Results for 1999-2000 would be compared to the average of the results for 1997-98 and 1998-99. Averaging results across years to calculate the CPI addresses certain concerns about variation in the characteristics of successive groups of students at the given grade level, particularly at very small schools. Beginning with test results for 2000-01, the CPI would be calculated based on the four most recent years of test scores. The average of the two most recent years would be compared to the average of the two years preceding that period. For 2000-01, this means that the average of 1997-98 and 1998-99 would be compared to the average of 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

No specific amount of progress would be prescribed for schools that exceed 80% at or above the Proficient level as long as over 80% of each successive group of students score at or above the Proficient level. Continued progress of these schools, to the goal of all or nearly all students attaining the Proficient level, will be considered as DPI clarifies its policy regarding the identification of Distinguished Schools.

The "90% Rule" and the "Required CPI" were developed with the expectation that schools will serve diverse populations including students with disabilities or limited English proficiency. In situations involving schools with unusually large populations of special needs students, percents based on the total number of eligible students will be considered along with percents based on total enrolled.

As has been true beginning with 1997-98 test results, schools would not be identified as "in need of improvement" in a subject unless the school fails to meet the annual review criteria for two consecutive years. Once identified as "in need of improvement," a school must meet the annual review criteria for two of three consecutive years. Only annual review criteria for 1999-2000 are provided above.

An overview of past, current and future annual review criteria are provided below.

Annual Review Criteria Over Time