MEASURING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) • AYP is used to determine which schools are making progress toward the goals set in the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act. AYP status is calculated using a number of indicators:

• Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) programs, such as California State Standards Tests [CSTs], California High School Exist Exam [CAHSEE], and California Alternative Performance Assessment [CAPA], are utilized.
• Schools must test 95 percent of their students each year.
• Certain percentages of students must be deemed proficient or above on standardized tests.
• Schools must achive a score of 590 or show one point of growth on the annual API.
• The last requirement, which applies only to high schools, is that 82.9 percent of students must graduate, or there must be a 0.1 percent increase in the graduation rate versus the previous year, or improvement in the rate of at least 0.2 percent in the average two year rate.

Adequate Performance Index (API) • The Academic Performance Index (API) is the cornerstone of California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999. The purpose of the API is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. It is a numberical index (or scale) that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. A school's score on the API is an indicator of a school's performance level. The statewide API performance target for all schools is 800. A school's growth is measured by how well it is moving toward or past that goal.

California High School Exit Exam (CASHEE) • The California High School Exit Exam helps identify students' strengths in English/language arts and mathematics. No student receives a public high school diploma without passing the CAHSEE, in addition to meeting local district's requirements for graduation. Students generally take the test as sophmores and then again each year until they pass.