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Federal Accountability

Title 1 Accountability: Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

The federal system of accountability established under Title I of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) uses AYP to measure student achievement. Under NCLB, all of California’s students are expected to achieve proficiency in English-language arts and mathematics by the 2013-14 school year. Each year, a specified percentage of students and all student subgroups must demonstrate proficiency on state standards. The yearly federal targets, known as Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs), are subject-specific and vary by grade span. Target proficiency percentages increase each year to 100% by 2013-14. A complete listing of all targets for 2002 through 2014 is contained in the Adequate Yearly Progress Report Information Guide.

In addition to the AMOs, schools and subgroups must have a testing participation rate of 95% and meet Academic Performance Index (API) growth criteria. High schools must meet a specified graduation rate. These requirements apply to California school districts and county offices of education as well as to schools. In these local educational agencies (LEAs), student scores are aggregated together and also disaggregated for each LEA subgroup.

Learn more about AYP in a video presented by Dr. Paul Tuss of Sacramento County’s Center for Student Assessment and Program Accountability.

Title 1 Accountability: Program Improvement (PI)

Any school or district that accepts Title 1 funds and fails to make AYP for two consecutive years is identified for PI and required to meet additional federal requirements. These requirements increase each year that a school or district fails to make AYP. Only by making AYP in two consecutive years can a school or district exit PI. As performance targets increase towards 100% proficiency, this challenge is significant.

Specific criteria for PI identification, placement and exit

Requirements and resources for schools identified for PI

Requirements, resources and guidance for LEAs identified for PI

Lists of schools and LEAs at risk of and identified for various stages of PI

Search for school, district or county current and prior year AYP reports

Information, resources, needs assessment and planning tools, and success stories

Title III Accountability

Local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive Title III funds under NCLB are held accountable for their English learners attaining English proficiency and meeting the same content and achievement standards that other students are expected to meet. These standards are known as annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) and address:

• Making annual progress on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT)
• Attaining English proficiency on the CELDT
• Meeting AYP by the English learner subgroup at the LEA level

Each year, a specified percentage of English learners must meet the AMAO targets. The target percentages increase each year until 2013-14. A complete listing of all targets for 2003 through 2014 is contained in the Title III Accountability Report Information Guide.

The accountability requirements apply to California districts, county offices of education, and consortia funded by Title III. Each spring, preliminary Title III performance reports on the two English language proficiency AMAOs are released. The Title III Accountability Report including information on all three AMAOs is released each fall after the AYP data are available.

Although Title III holds districts accountable for meeting the AMAO targets, school level reports are also available as a resource.

Any LEA or consortium that accepts Title III funds and fails to meet AMAOs for two consecutive years is required to develop an improvement plan that will ensure that the AMAOs are met. If AMAOs are missed for four consecutive years, the state requires the LEA or consortia to develop an improvement plan which describes how it will modify the curriculum, program, and method of instruction for English learners.

Watch an overview of the 2012 accountability requirements for LEAs in Title III, year 2 and year 4 status in a video presentation by officials from the California Department of Education: Lupita Alcalá, the Deputy Superintendent of the Instruction and Learning Support Branch, and Dr. Karen-Cadiero Kaplan, the Director of the English Learner Support Division.

Slides from the Title III Accountability Overview video presentation.

Learn about the AMAOs and Title III accountability in a video presented by Dr. Jan Mayer of the Sacramento County Office of Education.

Basic information about Title III accountability

Search for a district’s current and prior year Title III accountability reports

Requirements and technical assistance for LEAs that do not meet AMAOs