For Immediate Release
June 16, 2004
Hundreds see AYP improve after participating in ISBE
data verification process
State Board approves updated status
lists
Springfield, Ill. – After verifying data for more
than 800 schools, the Illinois State Board of Education
Wednesday adopted the updated 2003 Academic Early Warning
and Academic Watch school status lists. The board had
initially approved the lists in March, but the status
of 69 schools remained undetermined because their data
from the 2003 Report Card was still under review.
Upon release of the report card data in November, ISBE
staff reported data anomalies affecting calculations of
schools’ Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Using specific
criteria, staff initially identified nearly 400 schools
that had obvious data errors. Subsequently, 400 more schools
with similar data errors were added and given the opportunity
to verify and correct their data. The inconsistencies
ranged from inaccurate reporting of student subgroup participation
and enrollment information to miscoding of students. Roughly
half of the total that verified their data saw a change
in their status for the better.
“We said throughout last year, as we approached
this change in the way that AYP would be calculated, that
accuracy does matter,” Schiller said. “The schools
that went through this process recognize that data review
is a vital part of having the status of their schools
accurately identified.”
Schiller said that ISBE staff spent the past six months
working with schools statewide to ensure the accurate
review of their data. Just last week the agency opened
the first correction window for the 2004 school assessment
data. Schiller expressed concern that
175 schools have yet to report their test participation
data even though they’ve had several months since
state assessments were administered.
“This is a cooperative process and we have worked
hard to keep districts and schools in the loop to ensure
a quicker return of the School Report Card,” Schiller
said. “It’s a two-way street, though. We can’t
expedite the process if we don’t get the assessment
information in a timely manner.”
The schools’ Academic Early Warning and Academic
Watch status are based on 2003 test data to indicate school
progress and is required by the School Code and the federal
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
The final results of recalculations show a total of 305
schools in Academic Early Warning Status (AEWS) –
down from 664 in 2002. A total of 38 were removed from
the lists, while 314 dropped to the Academic Watch Status
(AWS). The number of schools on Academic Watch (the lowest
category) increased from 49 in 2002 to 363 in 2003. Seven
schools have closed or have been reconfigured.
Implications
Beginning with 2003 testing, the AYP criteria were revised
to reflect the requirements of NCLB legislation and include
the following:
- Schools must meet the 95% participation rate on state
assessments, in the aggregate and for all subgroups.
- Schools must meet the target of 40% meeting or exceeding
state standards (reading and mathematics only).
- Schools must meet the 88% attendance rate for elementary
and middle schools and a 65% graduation rate for high
schools.
A school becomes eligible for placement on the Academic
Early Warning Status when they do not make Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years. Schools placed
on Academic Watch are those that have failed to make AYP
for two additional years after being placed on Academic
Early Warning (or four annual calculations of missing
AYP). Beginning with initial placement on the Academic
Early Warning Status, schools prepare a School Improvement
plan, or a revised plan for approval by their local school
board.
The lists can be accessed in PDF or Excel spreadsheets
through the following links:
Academic Watch List
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/academic_watch.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/academic_watch.xls
Academic Early Warning List
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/academic_early_warning.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/academic_early_warning.xls
Thirty-eight schools have been removed from the Academic
Early Warning list. The list of Removed Schools
can be accessed at:
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/aewl_schools_removed.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/aewl_schools_removed.xls
The list of the more than 800 schools to whom verification
materials were sent can be viewed at: http://www.isbe.net/assessment/PDF/SchoolPackets.pdf
Status AFTER recalculations:
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/ayp_recalculations.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/ayp_recalculations.xls
More information on the terms and a flow chart of designations
is available at http://www.isbe.net/ayp/default.htm
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