All data reported in this section are based on student performance on the North Carolina ABCs End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests. Students in grades 3-8 must take annual End-of-Grade tests in reading, mathematics and science (grades 5, 8). Students enrolled in any of the following courses must take End-of-Course tests: English I; Algebra I and II; Geometry; Biology; Chemistry; Physical Science; Physics; Civics and Economics; and US History.

There are four levels of performance on the state's End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests ranging from Levels I-IV. A general description of each achievement level follows. More detailed definitions may be found on the NC Department of Public Instruction's ABCs website.

• Level I: Students performing at this level do not have sufficient mastery of knowledge and skills in this grade level or subject area to be successful at the next grade level or at a more advanced level in this subject area.
  
  
• Level II: Students performing at this level demonstrate inconsistent mastery of knowledge and skills in this grade level or subject area and are minimally prepared to be successful at the next grade level or at a more advanced level in this subject area.
  
  
• Level III: Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of this subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level (EOG) or for a more advanced level in this subject area (EOC).
  
  
• Level IV: Students performing at this level consistently perform in a superior manner clearly beyond that required to be proficient in this grade level or subject matter and are very well prepared for the next grade level or for a more advanced level in the subject area.

Students are considered to be at or above grade level if they receive a score of Level III or IV on the state's tests.

End-of-Grade percentages are based on the number of a school's reading and mathematics tests scored at Level III or above in the 2008-09 school year. End-of-Course percentages are based on the number of a school's End-of-Course tests scored at Level III or above in the 2008-09 school year. Scores for non-high school students enrolled in courses subject to ABCs testing requirements are reported.

Results for students with disabilities taking alternate assessments, including the NCCLAS, NCEXTEND1 or NCEXTEND2 are included in the reported percentages. Retests in grades 3-8 (reading, mathematics and science) were included in ABCs performance composites and AYP calculations (where appropriate) in 2008-09.

Student Performance Trend Data graphs display the percentage of students at or above Level III on the End-of-Grade mathematics tests in the 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 school years. Only a two-year trend for reading is available in 2008-09 because of the implementation of new reading tests in 2007-08 based on the revised Standard Course of Study.

Additional information is provided on the web-based version of the North Carolina School Report Cards. 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 NC Department of Public Instruction’s Reports of Supplemental Disaggregated State, School System (LEA) and School Performance Data for 2008-09. Data on the number of students taking the ABCs End-of-Grade reading and mathematics tests also are provided on the web-based Report Card.

The North Carolina ABCs program and federal No Child Left Behind legislation require schools to test at least 95 percent of their students. Students with disabilities taking alternate assessments, including the NCCLAS, NCEXTEND1 or NCEXTEND2, are credited as having been tested. Where the number of students (less than five) is too small 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 2008-09."

High Student Performance Data Reported by Student Groups
All data reported in this section are based on student performance on the North Carolina ABCs End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests. For each student group, the percentage of scores at Level III 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 III in both reading and mathematics on the ABCs End-of-Grade tests. Scores of students who did not take both the ABCs 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 III. End-of-Course percentages are weighted by the number of test takers.

Data are reported for the following six (6) student groups:

• Gender: Male and Female
  
  
• Racial/Ethnic: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Multiracial
  
  
• Economically disadvantaged students were identified for 2008-09 AYP calculations 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.): 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 AYP calculations for the LEP group only if that group already met the minimum number of 40 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 included. Students who have exited SWD identification during the last two years are included in AYP calculations for the SWD group only if that group already met the minimum number of 40 students required for a group.

Where no scores are reported or the number of students is too small (five or 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 2008-09."

Computer Skills Test
All data reported in this section are based on the performance of grade 8 students who have passed all portions of the NC Tests of Computer Skills by the end of their grade 8 year.

Edition Three of NC Tests of Computer Skills consists of an online assessment and an alternate assessment. Students who do not pass the NC Test of Computer skills in grade 8 are given multiple opportunities to re-take the test each year until graduation. Only figures for the grade 8 passing rates are provided for this indicator.

The N.C. General Assembly passed legislation (Session Law 2009-451) to eliminate the North Carolina Test of Computer Skills effective with the 2009-10 school year.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Test Development Section.

SAT
The test lasts 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists of multiple-choice and sentence completion questions along with 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 problems in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, and to answer statistical, probability, and data analysis questions. The writing section consists of two subsections: short essay and multiple-choice. The short essay section measures a student’s ability to effectively communicate a viewpoint and define and support a position. The multiple-choice questions examine a student’s ability to improve sentences and paragraphs and identify errors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200 - 800, and the writing section contains two subscores.

Average SAT scores and participation rates are provided. Participation rates represent the percentage of high school graduates in the class of 2009 who took the SAT exam.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Reporting Section, The North Carolina SAT Report, Fall 2009.

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) in 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 that were available during the programming phase of the report card.

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. A fourth category, below Basic, is also reported for this scale.

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

AYP Attendance Rate
The measurement used for NCLB is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP “sets the bar” for school performance by groups of students. In order to make AYP, schools and districts need to meet every single performance target set for them. Targets are set for student performance on the state standardized tests in reading and mathematics as well as for what is termed “Other Academic Indicators.”

Attendance in elementary and middle schools and the Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate in high schools are Other Academic Indicators in North Carolina. Progress is considered to be at least a .1 percentage point increase up to the 90% threshold for attendance or 80% for graduation rate. Any fluctuations above the threshold for the attendance or the Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate will meet the requirement for progress. For schools that have both elementary/middle grades and high school grades, the Other Academic Indicator is the Four-Year 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 40 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 No Child Left Behind website.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Demographics Data Collection, 2009.

AYP Graduation Rate
The graduation rate reported here complies with the No Child Left Behind federal education law. For more information about AYP, please refer to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s No Child Left Behind website.

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.

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%.

For more information visit National Governors Association Compact:
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0602GRADGUIDANCE.PDF

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, Demographics Data Collection, 2009.

School Performance on the ABCs
Each year, schools in North Carolina may receive several designations based on their performance on the state's ABCs tests. These designations are awarded on the basis of the percentage of students performing at grade level and on whether the school attained the ABCs growth standards. The designations are defined as follows:

• Honor School of Excellence: At least 90 percent of their students' scores are at or above achievement Level III and the school makes or exceeds its expected growth goal. Additionally, the school has achieved adequate yearly progress (AYP).
  
  
• School of Excellence: At least 90 percent of their students' scores are at or above achievement Level III and the school makes or exceeds its expected growth goal.
  
  
• School of Distinction: 80-89 percent of students' scores are at or above achievement Level III and school makes or exceeds its expected growth goal.
  
  
• School of Progress: 60-79 percent of students' scores are at or above achievement Level III and school makes or exceeds its expected growth goal.
  
  
• School Receiving No Recognition: School fails to reach its expected growth goals but has at least 60 percent of its students performing at or above achievement Level III.
  
  
• Priority School: School has less than 60 percent of its students' scores at or above achievement Level III and is not identified as a Low-Performing School.
  
  
• Low-Performing School: School fails to reach its expected growth goal and has significantly less than 50 percent of its students performing at or above achievement Level III.
  
  
• High Growth: The school has a c-ratio greater than or equal to 1.5 and has made expected growth.
  
  
• Expected Growth: School made its expected growth goal.
  
  

K-2 feeder schools are schools with no students in the tested grades. The ABCs designations for these schools reflect the designation of their receiving schools’ (third grade and above) that enroll the greatest percentage of the K-2 feeder students.

Special Schools, including Vocational and Career Centers, Special Education Schools, and Hospital Schools, are eligible for participation in the ABCs and may receive prorated incentive awards based on the status (high or expected growth) attained by the schools whose students they serve. Special Schools cannot be recognized as a Most Improved School, Honor School of Excellence, School of Excellence, School of Distinction, School of Progress, Priority School, or be identified as a Low-Performing School.

Each Report Card provides the designations given to each school and the percentage of schools with the same grade span in the district and state receiving each designation.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, “2008-09 ABC/AYP Report.”

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
For a school to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), each student group and the school must make progress toward achieving state performance standards in both reading and mathematics. The groups are:

• the School as a Whole;
• White;
• Black;
• Hispanic;
• Native American;
• Asian;
• Multiracial;
• 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) if he/she is part of a group represented by less than 40 students across the tested grades in a school, 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. AYP is determined for a school district by compiling the data for each student group and for the students as a whole in the district.

For elementary and middle schools (grades 3-8) to make AYP, each student group in the tested grades must meet the following target goals:

• 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) to make AYP, each student group must meet the following target goals:

• 95 percent participation rate on the English I and Grade 10 writing or alternate assessments;
• 95 percent participation rate on the Algebra I or alternate assessments;
• proficiency or above on the English I and Grade 10 writing or alternate assessments; and
• proficiency or above on the Algebra I 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 in order for the school, district or state to make AYP. For instance, in 2008-09, at least 77.2 percent of economically disadvantaged students at an elementary school must score at Level III or IV on the end-of-grade mathematics assessment or its alternate in order to make AYP. Through the use of safe harbor, the confidence interval or the AYP growth standard, a school still might be able to make AYP even if it misses its proficiency target goals.

Note: Calculations carry full precision until final rounding.

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 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 defined as a .1 percentage point increase or more or any fluctuation at or above an 80 percent threshold, changed by the State Board of Education in 2006-07. For schools that have both elementary/middle grades and high school grades, the Other Academic Indicator 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. It is possible for a district to enter district improvement under NCLB even if all schools make AYP. A group must have at least 40 students, with the exception of the School as a Whole; where up to as few as 5 students’ data will be calculated to determine the OAI and 3 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, “2008-09 ABCs/AYP Report.”

School and District Improvement Status
A Title I school that does not make AYP in the same subject for two consecutive years is designated as a Title I School Improvement school. The more years a school does not meet its AYP targets in the same subject, the more severe sanctions become. More detailed information is available on the NC Department of Public Instruction’s No Child Left Behind website.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability Services Division, “2008-09 ABCs/AYP Report.”