Proposed Recommendations for a Combined State and Federal Accountability System

Title 7 Education K-12 Part 105 Proposed Recommendations for a Combined State and Federal Accountability System Presented by the Accountability Task Force Approved by the Commission on School Accreditation April 4, 2013 Approved by the State Board of Education April 19, 2013 The performance classifications will be assigned based on the following school grading assignments: Schools with no 12th grade will have seven (7) components, each worth 100 points, totaling 700 possible points: 1. Reading Proficiency 2. Reading Growth - All Students 3. Reading Growth - Lowest 25% 4. Math Proficiency 5. Math Growth - All Students 6. Math Growth - Lowest 25% 7. Science Proficiency Prior to the 2015-2016 School Year, High Schools (schools with a grade 12) will have ten (10) components, each worth 100 points, totaling 1000 possible points: 1. Reading Proficiency 2. Reading Growth - All Students 3. Reading Growth - Lowest 25% 4. Math Proficiency 5. Math Growth - All Students 6. Math Growth - Lowest 25% 7. Science Proficiency 8. U.S. History Proficiency 9. Graduation Rate (Four (4) Year] - All Students 10. College Readiness (Math 50% and English/Reading 50%) Beginning with the 2015-2016 School Year, High Schools (schools with a grade 12) will have eleven (11) components, each worth 100 points, totaling 1100 possible points: 1. Reading Proficiency 2. Reading Growth - All Students 3. Reading Growth - Lowest 25% 4. Math Proficiency 5. Math Growth - All Students 6. Math Growth - Lowest 25% 7. Science Proficiency 8. U.S. History Proficiency 9. Graduation Rate - All Students 10. College Readiness (Math 50% and English/Reading 50%) 11. Acceleration (Participation and Performance Combined) on the following sliding scale: a. Year One (2015-2016 School Year): Participation 70%/Proficiency 30% b. Year Two (2016-2017 School Year): Participation 60%/Proficiency 40% c. Year Three (2017-2018 School Year): Participation 50%/Proficiency 50% Growth Growth is determined by whether or not a student increases in proficiency levels from (1) one year to the next based on the following criteria: • An increase of ANY Proficiency Levels • Staying at the same Proficiency Level that is at or above Proficient from one (1) year to the next • An increase within the lowest two (2) Proficiency Levels that crosses over the mid-point of the level. (Example: Bottom half of Basic to top half of Basic) Additional weight is given for the following increases: • Any increase of two (2) or more Proficiency levels will be given a weight = 1.2. • Any increase to the highest Proficiency level will be given a weight = 1.25. • Any other increase is given a weight = 1. Assessments used for calculation of growth will include: • Grade-level (3-8) assessments in Reading/Language Arts; • Grade-level (3-8) assessments in Mathematics; • High School-level assessments in Reading/Language Arts; • High School-level assessments in Mathematics; • Alternate assessments (3-8 and High School) in Reading; and • Alternate assessments (3-8 and High School) in Mathematics. (No Growth will be calculated for Science.) Growth – Low 25% (Reading and Math) Definition: Each school will have a Low 25% subgroup identified in both Reading and Math by ranking the scale scores of students in each grade in each subject. The lowest 25% of students are identified, then any students with the same score as the top of the 25% are then included in the lowest 25%. (This will usually yield a percentage slightly higher than 25%.) If in the event the number of students does not yield an even 25%, then the next highest scale scores are included to ensure a minimum of 25% of students are included, at each grade and subject level. Penalty: If a school does not receive a minimum number of points (based on the percentage of the students in the Low 25% subgroup meeting growth) in Reading OR Math, then the school will be dropped one letter grade. If a school/district does not meet the above criteria in the current year but does meet it in the previous year, then the school/district will be considered as having met the criteria. (The point value from the current year will be applied to the overall calculations.) It will be noted in the reporting of the results, if a school meets the criteria based on the previous year’s results rather than the current year. Participation Rates To ensure that schools/districts are assessing all students (as required by the USDE) a school/district will automatically be dropped a letter grade if the school/district does not meet a 95% minimum participation rate. Although subgroup participation rates will be reported, this penalty will apply to the overall participation rate only. (Any participation rate lower than 95.0% will not be rounded up to 95%.) Graduation Rate The federally-approved 4-year graduation rate will apply. Definition: The number of students who graduate in four (4) years from a school and LEA with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students entered four (4) years earlier as first-time ninth- graders, with adjustments for deaths, emigration, and transfers in and out. A “regular high school diploma” (Appendix A-1: District Option Diploma, Appendix A-2: Standard Diploma, and Appendix A-3: Career Pathway Diploma, Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2012) is the standard high school diploma that is fully aligned with the state’s academic content standards. No exceptions are made for students with disabilities (students receiving an IEP, SCD students) or students receiving an occupational diploma, GED, certificate of attendance, etc. It is the intent of the Mississippi Department of Education to increase the number of students with disabilities receiving a regular high school diploma. Acceleration High Schools will have an Acceleration component in their calculations. The Acceleration component refers to the percentage of students taking and passing the assessment associated with the accelerated courses such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or industry certification courses and students taking dual-enrollment courses, who are passing the course with a “C” or above. The Acceleration component will consist of a Participation and a Performance component. These two components will be combined for one (1) score worth 100 points and phased in on the following sliding scale: a. Year One (2015-2016 School Year): Participation 70%/Proficiency 30% b. Year Two (2016-2017 School Year): Participation 60%/Proficiency 40% c. Year Three (2017-2018 School Year): Participation 50%/Proficiency 50% Students participating in multiple accelerated courses will be given additional weighting.