Glossary

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) – As required by The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation (2001 ESEA Reauthorization), Washington state has developed a statewide accountability to measure whether schools, school districts and the state as a whole have made Adequate Yearly Progress in reading and mathematics achievement. The system is designed to ensure that:

  1. All public school students in grades 3-8 and 10 are included in the state assessment system;
  2. At least 95% of the students enrolled in the tested grades are assessed;
  3. All student groups reach the states proficiency level in reading and mathematics by 2013-14;
  4. Schools and districts that do not meet the state’s adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements are identified as needing improvement.
AYP is based on students attaining a target level of achievement in reading and math, and disaggregating student scores into nine subgroups for each school and district. A minimum number of continuously enrolled students per subgroup has been set for reliable AYP determination. (For more information, please see http://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/default.aspx)

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Participation and Other Indicator Detail – The detail page shows the performance of the 9 student groups.

The detail page shows the participation rates and performance of the 9 student groups. NCLB specifies the participation rate in the state assessment as an indicator for adequate yearly progress. The target for participation rate is 95.0%. Furthermore, NCLB requires each state to use an "other indicator". Other Indicator is the unexcused absence rate at the elementary and middle/jr. high school levels and the "extended" graduation rate at the high school level (this is the "on-time" rate plus the students who get a diploma after their expected year of graduation). When a high school is not authorized to graduate students, the annual dropout rate is used as the other indicator (noted in italics).

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Proficiency Detail – The detail page shows the performance of the 9 student groups.

MSP/HSPE/EOC and AYP may differ for the following reasons:

Compare My School (My District) – This tool generates a list of at least ten schools (or districts) with characteristics similar to those of the comparison school (or district). It is important to remember the comparisons made using this tool are based solely on an individual criterion and should not be used to rank schools (or districts). Instead, the intent is to help identify similar schools (or districts) that may be using successful strategies to overcome gaps in achievement and to encourage the sharing of best practices among schools and districts. There are many complex factors that influence student and school (or district) performance, all of which should be considered when analyzing a school's (or district's) overall performance.

Free or Reduced-Price Meal – This is the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts in May through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

Limited English – This is the percent of bilingual or English language learners. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts in May through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

Low Income – This is defined currently as students eligible for free or reduced price meals.

Migrant – This is the percent of migrant students. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts in May through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

October student count – This is the unduplicated head count of students. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

Race/Ethnicity – These consist of the 5 major racial/ethnic groups: American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic and White. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

School Improvement Status

(For additional information on school improvement status, please see http://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/default.aspx)

Special Education – This is the percent of special education students. The source of this data is the information submitted by school districts in May through the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS).

Teacher Information

This section includes demographic and educational information about Washington State teachers. It includes the total number (headcount*) of certified teachers who instruct elementary and secondary students in classes or courses in a public school classroom situation for which daily attendance is kept. It also includes teachers who instruct students in ungraded classes, as well as those who teach special education, gifted, disadvantaged, early childhood, home/hospital, and adult education programs.

For the purposes of the Report Card, Classroom Teacher data includes individuals serving in a role reported to the apportionment system (S-275) as assigned to a duty root of 31 (Elementary Teacher), 32 (Secondary Teacher) or 33 (Other Teacher). This data does not include duty root 63 (Contractor Teacher) or duty root 52 (Substitute Teacher). More information about Duty Codes may be found on the School Apportionment & Financial Services webpage at http://www.k12.wa.us/SAFS/default.asp#, under Instructions/Personnel Reporting.

General Terms and Definitions

Highly Qualified Teacher - This section is a requirement of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and applies to teachers of core academic subjects who must meet three criteria:

  1. Hold at least a bachelor’s degree, and
  2. Hold full state teacher certification, and have
  3. Demonstrated knowledge of subject matter and skill in the area assigned to teach.

Core Academic Classes – ESEA defines Core Academic classes as Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Civics/Government, Economics, Foreign (World) Languages, Reading, English/Language Arts, Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Theatre.

Conditional Certificate – A Conditional Certificate holder is a person who has expertise in an area and has been hired by the school or school district because they cannot find a certificated teacher in a specific endorsement area. The certificate is subject to specific limitations and the teacher must take professional development coursework to enhance their teaching competencies. It is valid for up to 2 years.

Emergency Certificate – An Emergency Certificate holder is a teacher candidate who has the appropriate degree and has substantially completed a teacher preparation program, but has not yet qualified for the Residency Certificate. A school can hire a teacher candidate with this certificate if a regularly certificated teacher cannot be found. The Emergency Certificate enables the teacher to be assigned to an endorsed area for up to one year.

High Poverty School – For purposes of this report, a high poverty school in Washington is a school that has a free reduced lunch rate that is in the top quartile of poverty for all schools in Washington. Low Poverty School – For purposes of this report, a low poverty school in Washington is a school that has a free reduced lunch rate that is in the bottom quartile of poverty for all schools in Washington.

Data Sources and Calculation Notes for Teacher Information

  • Classroom Teachers - Total headcount of Elementary Teachers, Secondary Teachers, and Other Teachers with the Duty Root Code of 31, 32, 33 as reported through S-275.
  • Average Years of Teacher Experience - Average of educational experience for Teachers with the Duty Root Code of 31, 32, 33 as reported through S-275.
  • Teachers with at least a Master's Degree (Percentage) - Headcount of Classroom Teachers with highest degree code as "Masters" or "Doctorate" (codes 'M', 'D' in the source system) with the Duty Root Code of 31, 32, 33 as reported through S-275 divided by the total number of Classroom Teachers.
  • Total number of teachers who teach core academic classes - Total number of teachers teaching Core Academic Classes as defined above as reported to the Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of teachers teaching with an emergency certificate – Percentage of teachers teaching with an Emergency Certificate (defined above) as reported in the Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of teachers teaching with a conditional certificate – Percentage of teachers teaching with a Conditional Certificate (defined above) as reported in the Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Total number of core academic classes - Total number of Core Academic Classes (defined above), inclusive of all terms reported for the school year as reported in the Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of classes taught by teachers meeting ESEA HQ definition – Total number of Core Academic Classes (defined above) less the total number of Core Academic classes taught by teachers who do not meet ESEA HQT requirements. This number is then divided by the total number of Core Academic Classes as reported in the Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of classes taught by teachers who do not meet ESEA HQ definition – Total number of teachers who do not meet HQT requirements divided by the total number of Classroom Teachers as reported in the Teacher Quality Data Collection
  • Percentage of classes in high poverty schools taught by teachers who meet ESEA HQ definition – Percentage of Core Academic Classes taught by Highly Qualified Teachers (defined above) in High Poverty Schools (defined above) as reported in Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of classes in high poverty schools taught by teachers who do not meet ESEA HQ definition - Percentage of Core Academic Classes taught by teachers who do not meet the Highly Qualified Teachers (defined above) definition in High Poverty Schools (defined above) as reported in Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of classes in low poverty schools taught by teachers who meet ESEA HQ definition - Percentage of Core Academic Classes taught by Highly Qualified Teachers (defined above) in Low Poverty Schools (defined above) as reported in Teacher Quality Data Collection.
  • Percentage of classes in low poverty schools taught by teachers who do not meet ESEA HQ definition - Percentage of Core Academic Classes taught by teachers who do not meet the Highly Qualified Teachers (defined above) definition in Low Poverty Schools (defined above) as reported in Teacher Quality Data Collection.

*Headcount is calculated as a count of unique persons who meet the criteria for the section. This is not a subtotal of FTE which identifies the portion of time a person is attributed to an assignment.

Strands - Strands are detailed components of our state's content standards. Student performance on strands is described as either performance similar to or better than that of student at the standard or performance below that of students at the standard. For each individual student, performance on a strand is reported as a "+" indicating a strength or as a "-" indicating a weakness. For a school or district, the percent of students with a "+" on a strand can be viewed as the percent of students who are performing similar to or better than students who were at the standard.

Title I - Schoolwide: All students in the school are served by Title I. The school must have at least 40% of the students from low-income families and an approved reform plan that coordinates and integrates its many programs and services. Targeted Assistance: Some students in the school receive supplemental services funded by Title I.

WAAS – The Washington Alternate Assessment System is designed for and administered to students with disabilities whom, even with accommodation, would not be able to take the MSP or HSPE. More information can be found online at http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/.

WASL – The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) was given as the state assessment from spring 1997 to summer 2009.

Other Information

Annual Dropout Rate (2009-10 school year) for students in grades 9 - 12 – The total number of students identified as dropping out divided by the net total number of students served. Net students is determined by the total number of students in grades 9 through 12 reported as served during the school year, less the total number of students exited with a confirmed transfer out of the school/district or who have become deceased. Students reported as having an expected year of graduation prior to 2010 and who were reported as dropouts are not included in these calculations. More information about graduation and dropout rates in Washington State can be found online at: http://www.k12.wa.us/dataadmin.

Estimated Annual On-Time Graduation Rate (2009-10 school year) – This rate represents those students who were reported as graduating during the 2009-10 school year and whose expected graduation year was 2010. More information about graduation and dropout rates in Washington State can be found online at: http://www.k12.wa.us/dataadmin.

'No information' on On-Time Graduation Rate may indicate fewer than 10 in the cohort, the district did not report enough data to compute an accurate rate, or the school does not have the authority to have graduates.

Estimated Annual Extended Graduation Rate (2009-10 school year) - This rate includes students who graduated during the 2009-10 school year after their expected graduation year (prior to 2010). Late graduates are added to the total number of on-time graduates in the year they graduate when calculating the extended graduation rate. More information about graduation and dropout rates in Washington State can be found online at: http://www.k12.wa.us/dataadmin.

'No information' may indicate fewer than 10 in the cohort, the district did not report enough data to compute an accurate rate, or the school does not have the authority to have graduates.

Actual Adjusted On-Time Cohort Graduation Rate (Class of 2010) – The total number of students identified in grade 9 as belonging to the Class of 2010 (during the 2006-07 school year) who are reported as graduates, divided by the total number of students identified as the Class of 2010, during the 2009-10 school year. Students who enrolled at any time prior to the end of the 2009-10 school year, identified as belonging to the Class of 2010, are included in the calculations. Students identified as belonging to the Class of 2010 who have exited with a confirmed transfer or who have become deceased are removed from the calculations. More information about the actual adjusted cohort calculations can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/hsgrguidance.pdf.

Actual Adjusted 5-year Cohort Graduation Rate (reported with the Class of 2010) – The total number of students identified as belonging to the Class of 2009 who are reported as graduates within the 2009-10 school year. While these students graduate with the Class of 2010 they are graduating a year after their expected year of graduation, 2009. These students are added to the total number of graduates in the Class of 2010 when calculating the Adjusted 5-year Cohort Rate. More information about the actual adjusted cohort calculations can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/hsgrguidance.pdf.

Unexcused Absence Rate - The percentage of student enrollment days in the school year that students had an unexcused absence. The definition of an unexcused absence is a local decision, so the definition differs among schools and districts. In general, a student who has an unexcused absence has not attended a majority of hours or periods in a school day, or has not complied with a more restrictive district policy, and has not met the conditions for an excused absence (see RCW 28A.225.020).

Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) - Title I and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), include English Language Learners (ELL) in the state accountability system and require states to set performance targets referred to as Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for English language proficiency. Under section 3122(a)(3), Achievement Objectives and Accountability, the AMAO's for English language proficiency must include:

Section 3122(b)(2) of Title III also requires states to apply accountability measures when districts do not meet the AMAO targets. As described in section 3122 of Title III, each district must inform parents of English Language Learners (ELLs) participating in the STBIP and/or Title III if the district did not meet one or more of the AMAO targets for each school year. Notices are to be communicated in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that the parent can understand.