Understanding Data

Dictionary of Data Terms

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Student Achievement

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

The definitions of the five summary evaluations of Adequate Yearly Progress, or NCLB "classifications," are:

Commended: These schools not only met their targets, but demonstrate special successes. Schools that are commended meet one of the three following criteria. They...

Met AYP: These schools' students met or exceeded the goals on all targets. Also, some schools meet goals by a "Safe Harbor" provision. "Safe Harbor" recognizes significant growth in one or more targets, even though the school did not technically reach the statewide goal.

Caution: For one year only, these schools receive a "Caution" status when they met all the goals the prior year, but missed up to 3 targets, not more, in the current year. It takes schools two years in a row of missed targets to be classified as "In Need of Improvement," which means they face consequences. (See below.)

Delay: Also for one year only, these schools receive a "Delay" status when they reach their goals in the current year, but did not in prior years. It takes two years in a row of meeting all targets for schools in need of improvement to be classified as "Met AYP."

Insufficient Progress: These schools a) have missed targets for at least two or more consecutive years; b) missed more than 3 targets this year alone; and/or c) missed a target for school-wide scores this year.

Schools showing "Insufficient Progress" may be labeled "In Need of Improvement."

Both the No Child Left Behind law and RI's state accountability system require that schools considered "In Need of Improvement" face certain consequences. In the case of schools that receive federal Title I funds, the consequences get more severe each year a school continues to "need improvement." For these schools, new consequences or "sanctions," are added each year to the sanctions imposed in the previous years. The sanctions are:

Year 1 - Public School Choice: The school must send a letter to parents notifying them that their child is eligible to transfer to other schools in the district that are not in need of improvement.

Year 2 - Supplemental Educational Services: The school must offer parents free tutoring for their children.

Year 3 - Corrective Action: The district must choose from the following federally mandated improvement options: replace some of the school's staff, change the curriculum; appoint an expert to advise the school; extend the school day or school year; or change how the school is managed, introducing a charter-school operator, for example.

Year 4 - Restructuring: The district must choose one of the following options: replace most of the staff; reopen the school as a charter school; or contract with an outside group to manage the school. Under special circumstances, the state might take over the school's operations.

These schools can end their "In Need of Improvement" status only when they meet all of their targets for two years in a row.

Watch: The first year that a school misses a target, it is placed in "Watch." Watch does not include sanctions; it is a warning to schools that if they miss the same target the following year, they will enter Year 1 of School Improvement / Public School Choice.

Student Achievement

NECAP Assessments

The New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) is administered annually to children in Rhode Island schools that receive public education funding, according to the following schedule:

Students take the NECAP Math, Reading and Writing assessments in the fall. NECAP Science assessments are taken in the spring. The results of NECAP assessments are published to the public and used by the state primarily to assess school improvement to meet the accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal law.

Performance on the assessments is measured as:

Proficient with Distinction: Students demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to participate and excel in instructional activities at the current grade level.

Proficient: Students demonstrate only minor gaps in the knowledge and skills needed to participate and excel in instructional activities at the current grade level, and it is likely that these gaps can be addressed during the course of typical classroom instruction.

Partially Proficient: Students demonstrate gaps in the knowledge and skills needed to participate and excel in instructional activities at the current grade level. Additional instructional support may be necessary for these students to meet grade-level expectations.

Substantially Below Proficient: Students demonstrate extensive and significant gaps in the knowledge and skills needed to participate and excel in instructional activities at the current grade level. Additional instructional support is necessary for these students to meet grade-level expectations.

You can also access school, district and statewide reports prepared by Measured Progress, the company that administers the NECAP assessments, by clicking here.

Student Achievement

SAT Exams

The College Board creates and administers the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), a college admission test that is not part of Rhode Island's assessment program. Students who so choose pay to take the test which examines in the areas of reading, writing and math. Most colleges require SAT scores as part of the application process. The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association of schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.

The data presented on InfoWorks display the average SAT scores in each tested area (Math, Reading, Writing) for high school students - typically juniors and seniors - who took the exam during the 2008-2009 academic year. A perfect SAT score in each tested area is 800 points.

For the most recent reports on each state's results, click here.

Student Achievement

AP Exams

The College Board created, administers, and scores Advanced Placement (AP) Exams to assess college-level learning in 37 subject areas. The College Board works with high schools to develop the curriculum for AP courses, which many schools offer, to prepare their students for the exams and for college.

Number of Exams Taken: This reports how many exams were administered in each high school, district and the state during the year.

Number of Students to Take an Exam: These data report how many unique students took an AP exam during the year. Many students take more than one AP exam in a given year. While most exams are taken by seniors, sometimes juniors, sophomore, and even freshmen take AP exams.

Number and Percent of Exams Scored at College-Mastery Level: "Mastery" is a score of at least 3, on a scale from 1 to 5. The College Board considers a score of 3 to represent "mid-level C performance in college," while 4 and 5 count as a "B" or "A," respectively.

Student Achievement

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)

The Developmental Reading Assessment is required for accountability purposes in schools where the highest grade is first grade. These schools are also known as "early grade schools". Other schools use the test for their own purposes, but only "early grade schools" are required to administer and report the DRA, per the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. In 2008-09, only seven schools statewide were required to report DRA results for their kindergarten or first grade students.

A note on InfoWorks data reporting: To ensure confidentiality, data are not reported for groups with fewer than 10 students, so that no individual student is identifiable. Where this is the case, InfoWorks reports "too few data." Also, "no data" is used to point out instances where data are not available for a particular state, district, or school indicator.