Assessment Model and Adequate Yearly Progress Under NCLB

   At its September meeting, the State Board of Education approved the department's recommendations to meet federal testing requirements and adequate yearly progress as mandated under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)."

   Federal law requires that states, by no later than the 2005-2006 school year, measure achievement of all students in reading and math in grades three through eight, and once again at the high school level. The board approved a mixed model of assessment that includes the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) as the measure of student achievement in grades three, five, eight and 11, with department-approved, commercially available assessments, aligned with state standards at grades 4, 6, and 7 and integrated with a "value-added" component. "Value-added" is a diagnostic tool that allows districts to better analyze data and longitudinal progress to focus instructional programs at the building, class, and student level.

   This spring schools also will be required to measure the progress of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Pennsylvania will serve as the lead state, in a consortium of states that includes Maryland, Michigan and Tennessee to develop an English Language Proficiency assessment aligned with the federal requirements. In the interim, the department will provide guidance to schools on what local assessment may be used until the new assessment is developed. A major component of NCLB is to have all students perform at a proficient level in 12 years. The board approved the current level of proficiency for the calculation of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). As required under the law, results of the Spring 2002 PSSA will be the baseline for AYP.

   Using an "intermediate," or "stepped method," the department determined that in order for all Pennsylvania students to be proficient in 12 years, the state must move 5 percent of students into the top two performance levels of the PSSA each year.

   Another component of defining adequate yearly progress is using the graduation rate at the secondary level. It allows states to choose another academic indicator at the elementary level as part of AYP. The board approved that the child attendance rate be used at the elementary level because attendance is an important variable in overall performance.

   Finally, federal law also requires districts to set measurable achievement goals for economically disadvantaged students, major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and students with Limited English Proficiency. The board approved that the necessary number of students tested at the building level to form the "disaggregated" groups be 75 students.

   The department engaged educators, parents, and community and business leaders from across the state to develop the recommendations approved by the board. Recommendations concerning highly qualified teacher and paraprofessionals will be discussed at the November meeting of the State Board of Education.

For more information about the No Child Left Behind Act, visit the www.pde.state.pa.us, Search/Keyword: "NCLB."