QEIA Accountability and Academic Performance Index API

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QEIA Accountability andAcademic Performance
Index (API)

• Cynthia Lim
• Deanna Nielson
• School Information Branch
• Planning, Assessment and Research

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Purpose of This Session

• Gain an understanding of how API is calculated
• Examine school level data
• Integrate achievement data with school profile
  information to determine strategies to increase
  API

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QEIA Accountability

• Regular and Alternative Applicants
• Exceed the school-wide API growth target (on
  average) during the first three years of full
  implementation, AND
• Regular
• Meet API growth target in 4th year and every year
  thereafter
• Alternative
• Exceed API growth target beginning 4th year and
  every year thereafter

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What is the API?

• Numeric index ranging from 200 to 1000 that
  reflects a schools performance level based on
  statewide testing
• Established by Californias Public Schools
  Accountability Act (PSAA) in 1999 before the
  federal No Child Left Behind legislation

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Purpose of API

• Measure growth of school performance from one
  year to the next
• Rank schools on an annual basis

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API Targets

• Statewide target for all schools 800
• Growth is measured by how much a school is moving
  toward or past goal of 800

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What is Base? What is Growth?

• Base API serves as baseline for comparisons with
  Growth API
• Sample School 2006 API Base 601
• Growth target (800 - school Base API) 5
• (800 601) 5 10
• Base API is subtracted from next years Growth
  API to determine how much a school grew in a year
• Sample School 2007 Growth 617
• 617 601 16

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QEIA Growth Target Requirements

• Exceed the API schoolwide growth target for the
  school averaged over the first 3 full years of
  funding
• Growth targets in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 will
  be summed and divided by three.
• If averaged growth score is greater than averaged
  growth target, school has met requirement for
  first 3 years of funding
• Significant subgroup API growth targets are not
  part of QEIA accountability requirements.

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Examining Your School Data

• What was the average growth score and growth
  target over the past 3 year period?
• Did the average growth scores exceed your average
  growth target?
• What are the implications for your school in
  meeting QEIA accountability?

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What Gets Counted in a High Schools API?

• CA Standards Tests
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• History-Social Science
• CAPA
• CAHSEE (Gr. 10-12)

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What Gets Counted in a Middle Schools API?

• CA Standards Tests
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science (Gr. 8)
• History-Social Science (Gr. 8)
• CAPA
• CAT/6 (Gr. 7)

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What Gets Counted in an Elementary Schools API?

• CA Standards Tests
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science (Gr. 5)
• CAPA
• CAT/6 (Gr. 3)

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How Do These Tests and Measures Get Combined into
One Score?

• Performance levels are given different weighting
  factors not all performance levels are treated
  equally
• Tests and subject areas are given different
  weights and reflect curriculum priorities in the
  state
• Number of students tested in each area influence
  school content area weights

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API Weighting Factors for Performance Levels
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California Standards Test (CST) Levels Language
Arts
Gain 300 points
Gain 125 points
Gain 200 points
Gain 175 points
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California Standards Test (CST) Levels Language
Arts
Loss of 300 points
Loss of 125 points
Loss of 200 points
Loss of 175 points
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Test Weights, Grade Levels 9-11
Grades 11 and 12 are counted only if the student
passed.
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Test Weights, Grade Levels 2-8
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Sample HS Content Area Weights
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Examining Your School Data

• Review the School Content Weights report and the
  CST performance level data for your school
• Which content areas received the most weight?
• How did your students perform on the CSTs across
  subject areas (performance level distribution)?

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What Other Data Are Available?

• Examine the CST Content Cluster Analysis Report
• The Reporting Cluster (Subtest) Analysis
• STAR CST Reporting Clusters (Appendix A from the
  2007 STAR Post-Test Guide).
• Which clusters of standards did students have
  most difficulty with on the CST at each grade
  level?

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Definitions for the STAR CST Cluster Reports

• Grade/Test Reporting Cluster Grade level or
  test and content strands tested within each.
• No. Questions number of items tested to assess
  the standards within the reporting cluster.
• Average Correct and Average Correct columns
  the average percentage and number of items
  answered correctly by
• Minimally Proficient all students tested in the
  state who scored at the lowest Proficient scale
  score (350).
• Your School ALL students tested at your school.
• LAUSD ALL students tested in the district.
• Statewide ALL students tested in California.

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What Other Questions Do We Have?

• What can we learn from examining the CST/CAHSEE
  blueprints?
• What can we learn from examining released items
  of the assessment?
• Are there other data we want to look at?
• SOAR
• Periodic Assessments
• Others?

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Gathering Process Data

• Before we can explain why we have to examine
  practices at the school (process).
• All the data weve looked at so far can help
  focus the inquiry and provide a place to start
  when gathering process data.
• Are there instructional practices at the school
  that need to be duplicated? modified?
  eliminated?
• Is there specific professional development needed
  to improve instruction in the content areas?

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Integrating Data Pieces

• What are the critical subject areas for our
  school?
• Where would class size reduction be most
  beneficial?
• What types of professional development is needed?

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Examining Your School Data

• What was the average growth score and growth
  target over the past 3 year period?
• Did the average growth scores exceed your average
  growth target?
• What are the implications for your school in
  meeting QEIA accountability?

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Examining Your School Data

• Review the School Content Weights report and the
  CST performance level data for your school
• Which content areas received the most weight?
• How did your students perform on the CSTs across
  subject areas (performance level distribution)?

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What Other Data Are Available?

• Examine the CST Content Cluster Analysis Report
• The Reporting Cluster (Subtest) Analysis
• STAR CST Reporting Clusters (Appendix A from the
  2007 STAR Post-Test Guide).
• Which clusters of standards did students have
  most difficulty with on the CST at each grade
  level?

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Contact Information

• School Information Branch
• Phone [phone]
• Cynthia Lim cynthia.lim_at_lausd.net
• Deanna Nielson deanna.nielson_at_lausd.net