All data reported in this section are based on student performance on the North Carolina End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests. Students in grades 3-8 must take annual end-of-grade tests in English Language/Arts reading, mathematics and science (grades 5, 8). Students enrolled in any of the following courses must take end-of-course tests: English II, Math I, and Biology.

There are four levels of performance on the state's End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests ranging from Levels 1-4. Detailed definitions may be found on the NC Department of Public Instruction's Accountability Services website .

End-of-Grade percentages are based on the number of a school's reading and mathematics tests scored at Level 3 or above in the 2012-13 school year. End-of-Course percentages are based on the number of a school's End-of-Course tests scored at Level 3 or above in the 2012-13 school year. Scores for non-high school students enrolled in courses subject to testing requirements are reported.

Results for students with disabilities taking alternate assessments, including NCEXTEND1 or NCEXTEND2 are included in the reported percentages.

Additional information is provided on the web-based version of the NC School Report Cards. For example, tables display the number and percentage of students at each of the four achievement levels on the End-of-Grade reading test. This information also is displayed for students of each racial/ethnic category, gender, economic status, disability status, migrant status, and for English language learners. Detailed achievement level results for each grade level and course tested are available online in the READY Accountability Model Reporting. Data on the number of students taking the North Carolina End-of-Grade reading and mathematics tests also are provided on the web-based Report Card.

The READY Accountability Model and federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) require schools to test at least 95 percent of their students. Students with disabilities taking alternate assessments, including the NCEXTEND1 or NCEXTEND2, are credited as having been tested. Where the number of students is too small (less than five) to ensure that student test results aren’t personally identifiable, a N/A (not available) will appear. In any group where the percentage of students at a grade level is greater than 95% or less than 5%, the actual values may not be displayed because of federal privacy regulations. In these cases the results will be shown as >95% or <5% for the group.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Reporting Section, "Reports of Disaggregated State, School System (LEA), & School Performance Data for 2012-13."

High Student Performance Data Reported by Student Groups
All data reported in this section are based on student performance on the North Carolina End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests. For each student group, the percentage of scores at Level 3 or above is reported. Percentages for schools with students in grades 3-8 are based on the number of students scoring at or above Level 3 in both reading and mathematics on the End-of-Grade tests. Scores of students who did not take both the reading and mathematics tests are omitted from the reported percentages. Percentages for schools with students taking End-of-Course exams are based on the total number of End-of-Course tests scored at or above Level 3. End-of-Course percentages are weighted by the number of test takers.

Data are reported for the following six student groups:

• Gender: Male and Female
  
  
• Racial/Ethnic: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races. The one exception to Two or More Races is the combination of Hispanic with any other race/ethnicity: Hispanic overrides the other race/ethnicity and the student is identified as Hispanic.
  
  
• Economically disadvantaged students were identified for 2012-13 analysis in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement between the Child Nutrition Services Section and the Division of Accountability Services.
  
  
• Limited English Proficient (L.E.P.): LEP students are students whose first language is not English and who need language assistance to participate fully in the regular curriculum. Students who have exited LEP identification during the last two years are included in calculations for the LEP group only if that group already met the minimum number of 30 students required for a group.
  
  
• Migrant Students: To be considered a "Migrant Student," a child must engage in or have parents or guardians who engage in migrant agricultural work. The child also must have moved within the preceding 36 months to accommodate temporary or seasonal agricultural work. There is a formal certification process to identify migrant students.
  
  
• Students with Disabilities (SWD): Students with Disabilities” includes all children who, because of permanent or temporary mental, physical or emotional handicaps, are in need of special education services. Section 504 students are not included. Students who have exited SWD identification during the last two years are included in calculations for the SWD group only if that group already met the minimum number of 30 students required for a group.

Where no scores are reported or the number of students is too small (five than fewer) to ensure that student test results remain anonymous, a N/A (not available) is displayed. In any group where the percentage of students at a grade level is greater than 95% or less than 5%, the actual values may not be displayed because of federal privacy regulations. In these cases the results will be shown as >95% or <5% for the group.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Reporting Section, "Reports of Disaggregated State, School System (LEA), & School Performance Data for 2012-13."

SAT
The most recent version of the SAT, which was first administered in March 2005, consists of multiple-choice questions, sentence completions, and a student-written essay. The test’s critical reading section, formerly known as the verbal section, examines sentence completion and passage-based reading. The test’s mathematics section examines a student’s ability to solve arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, probability, and data analysis problems.

The writing section consists of two subsections: short essay and multiple-choice. The short essay subsection measures a student’s ability to effectively communicate a viewpoint and define and support a position. The multiple-choice subsection examines a student’s ability to improve sentences and paragraphs and to identify errors. Each of the SAT’s three sections is scored on a scale of 200-800, with a highest possible total score of 2400.

When comparing SAT total scores from examinations administered in 2006 to the present with SAT total scores from examinations administered prior to 2006, only critical reading and mathematics scores are used, with a highest possible total score of 1600.

Average SAT scores and participation rates are provided. Participation rates represent the percentage of high school membership in the class of 2011 who took the SAT. When comparing average SAT scores across schools, participation rate might be a factor, because the larger the test-taking population, the smaller SAT changes tend to be from year to year.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Reporting Section, The North Carolina SAT Report, Fall 2013.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Scoring Process
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) uses a combination of multiple-choice and constructed-response items (questions) as part of its assessment instruments. For multiple-choice items, students are required to select an answer from a list of options; responses are electronically scanned and scored. For constructed-response items, students are required to provide their own answers; responses are scanned and then scored by qualified and trained scorers using a scoring guide and an electronic image-processing and scoring system..

Scoring all NAEP items in an objective, consistent, and valid fashion is a key program goal. There are a number of steps in the NAEP scoring process that occur during three general phases: scoring guide development and pilot, first operational scoring (or pre-calibration), and subsequent operational scoring.

NAEP data are collected using a closely-monitored and standardized process. The tight controls that guide the data collection process help ensure the comparability of the results generated for the national and the state assessments.

Results
NAEP provides results about subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment and reports these results for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., male students or Hispanic students). NAEP does not provide individual scores for the students or schools assessed. The NAEP results included on the state Report Card are the results of the 2013 NAEP reading and mathematics assessments. The data included on the state Report Card reflects results from a sample of students in the public schools of North Carolina and the nation.

Subject-matter achievement is reported in two ways—scale scores and achievement levels. NAEP scales are developed independently for each subject. Achievement levels categorize student achievement as Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Below Basic is also reported for this scale but not considered an achievement level.

NAEP scales are developed independently for each subject, scale score and achievement level results, which cannot be compared across subjects. See more information about NAEP in North Carolina at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/policies/naep/naep

ESEA Attendance Rate
The measurement used for ESEA is Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs). AMOs specify targets for school performance by groups of students. Targets are set for student performance on the state standardized tests in reading and mathematics (grades 3-8, and grade 10) as well as for what is termed “Other Academic Indicators” (OAI).

Attendance is the OAI for elementary and middle schools in North Carolina. In 2012-13, progress was considered to be at least a 0.1 percentage point increase up to the 90% threshold for attendance. Any fluctuations above the threshold for attendance met the requirement for progress. For schools that have both elementary/middle grades and high school grades, the Other Academic Indicator is the Cohort Graduation Rate if the school graduates seniors, and attendance rate if the school does not. (There are special conditions that may apply when either of the grade spans has fewer than 30 students.)

In the table that displays a breakdown by student group where the number of students is too small (less than five), a N/A (not available) is displayed. This ensures that student information remains anonymous. In any group where the percentage of students is greater than 95% or less than 5%, the actual values are not displayed because of federal privacy regulations. In these cases, the results are shown as >95% or <5%.

More detailed information is available on the NC Department of Public Instruction’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) federal education law.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Demographics Data Collection, 2012-13.

Cohort Graduation Rate
The graduation rate reported here complies with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) federal education law.

Since July 2005, all 50 states have signed the National Governors Association’s Graduation Counts Compact on State High School Graduation Data. In the compact, governors agreed to take steps to implement a standard, four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. States agree to calculate the graduation rate by dividing the number of on-time graduates in a given year by the number of first-time entering ninth graders four years earlier. Graduates are defined as those receiving a high school diploma. The denominator can be adjusted for transfers in and out of the system, and data systems track individual students with a longitudinal student unit record data system.

Beginning in 2009-10, the requirements for cohort graduation rate changed so that the rate of improvement from one year to the next must be as least two percentage points on a four-year cohort graduation rate or at least three percentage points on a five-year cohort graduation rate for a school to make progress. A four-year rate (or five-year rate) of at least 80 percent also meets the target for the Other Academic Indicator (OAI) at the high school level.

In the breakdown by student group where the number of students is too small (less than five), a N/A (not available) is displayed. This ensures that student information remains anonymous. In any group where the percentage of students is greater than 95% or less than 5%, the actual values are not displayed because of federal privacy regulations. In these cases, the results are shown as >95% or <5%.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Demographics Data Collection, 2012-13.

Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs)
For Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) the reported groups are:

• All Students (School as a Whole);
• White;
• Black;
• Hispanic;
• Native American;
• Asian;
• Pacific Islander;
• Two or More Races;
• Economically Disadvantaged Students;
• Limited English Proficient Students; and
• Students With Disabilities.

Most schools will not have all groups represented at their school. A student can be in as few as one group (School as a Whole) or a student could be in as many as five groups. LEAs are held to the same participation and Other Academic Indicators target goals for students in reading/language arts and mathematics that are established for schools.

For elementary and middle schools (grades 3-8) additional targets include

• 95 percent participation rate in end-of-grade reading or alternate assessments;
• 95 percent participation rate in end-of-grade mathematics or alternate assessments;
• Proficiency or above in end-of-grade reading or alternate assessments; and
• Proficiency or above in end-of-grade mathematics or alternate assessments.
• In addition, the School as a Whole must show progress on the Other Academic Indicator, which is attendance for schools in grades 3 to 8.

For high schools (grades 9-12) additional targets include:

• 95 percent participation rate on the English II End-of-Course or alternate assessments;
• 95 percent participation rate on the Math I End-of-Course or alternate assessments;
• Proficiency or above on the English II End-of-Course; and
• Proficiency or above on the Math I End-of-Course or alternate assessments.
• In addition, the School as a Whole must show progress on the Other Academic Indicator, which is the cohort graduation rate if the school graduates seniors and the attendance rate if it doesn’t.

Each student group at a school, district or the state level must meet or exceed the proficiency target goals outlined in the chart below on the designated assessments. For instance, in 2012-13, for economically disadvantaged students at an elementary school to meet the AMO, at least 28.7 percent of students must score at Level 3 or 4 on the End-of-Grade reading assessment or its alternate. Through the use of the confidence interval a school still might be able to meet the AMO target even if it misses its proficiency target goals.

Other Academic Indicator (OAI) – Attendance & Four-year Cohort Graduation Rate
If a school contains a combination of elementary, middle and high school grade ranges, all available targets will be used for determining AYP status. Progress on the OAI is defined as follows. For elementary and middle schools, progress is based on attendance and is defined as a .1 percentage point increase or more up to a threshold of 90% or any fluctuation at or above the 90 percent threshold. For high schools, progress is based on the cohort graduation rate and is defined as a 2 percentage point increase or more on the four-year cohort graduation rate, or a 3 percentage point increase or more on the five-year cohort graduation rate, or any fluctuation at or above an 80 percent threshold. For schools that have both elementary/middle grades and high school grades, the OAI is the cohort graduation rate if the school has 12th grade and graduates seniors, and attendance rate if the school does not. (There are special conditions that may apply when either of the grade spans has fewer than 40 students.)

Districts are held accountable for meeting all targets measured in the district, including the attendance rate and cohort graduation rate. A group must have at least 30 students, with the exception of the School as a Whole. As few as five students’ data will be calculated to determine the OAI and three students’ data to determine if proficiency targets have been met. For proficiency and attendance targets, only students in membership a Full Academic Year (FAY) are calculated at the school level. FAY is defined as 140 days in membership as of the first day of spring testing.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, “READY Accountability Model Report.”

ESEA School Status
North Carolina’s ESEA Flexibility Request provides the State with waivers to certain provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As part of its differentiated recognition, accountability, and support system, NC has identified a list of schools as Reward, Focus, and Priority. Reward Schools are schools that have demonstrated high student achievement or high student progress over a number of years. Districts with schools identified as Focus and Priority must implement interventions to assist at-risk students in meeting the State’s high academic achievement standards and graduate students on time.

Under the approved waivers, the State is no longer required to identify a local education agency (LEA) for improvement or corrective action. For more information about ESEA Flexibility, please see the ESEA Flexibility website.

Source: NCDPI, Federal Program Monitoring and Support.