Testing and Accountability Issues
Responses to these frequently asked questions are advisory only. Charter schools and charter authorizers are encouraged to review the actual laws and regulations that provide the basis for these responses and consult with their own legal counsel regarding the application of any of these issues to a specific situation.
Q.1. Are charter schools required to
participate in statewide testing programs?
Q.2. What responsibilities do charter schools have to identify students as English learners?
Q.3. Does the state monitor charter schools on programs and services of English learners?
Q.4. Is there any flexibility allowed in how charter schools administer the Statewide Testing Program?
Q.5. Is there any flexibility allowed in how charter schools may report their test scores?
Q.6. Can a charter school require each student to participate in state testing?
Q.7. What is the Academic Performance Index (API)?
Q.8. What is the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?
Q.9. Does a charter school that qualifies for the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) still receive an API score?
Q.10. Does a charter school that qualifies for the ASAM still have to participate in standardized testing?
Q.11. How does a charter school that qualifies for the ASAM prove they met AYP under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001?
Are charter schools required to participate in statewide testing programs?
Yes. Charter schools must comply with all statewide pupil assessments required of pupils in non-charter public schools. Required tests include the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR), California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) and, if warranted by answers given on the annual Home Language Survey, the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) is required to be administered annually to all English learners. Information on each of these programs may be found on the California Department of Education Web site as noted below:
General information on state testing: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/
STAR: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r19/star05rfa.asp
CAHSEE: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/index.asp
PFT: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf/overview.asp
CELDT: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/el/
What responsibilities do charter schools have to identify students as English learners?
During initial enrollment in a California public school, kindergarten through grade twelve, parents or guardians of all students are required to complete a Home Language Survey (HLS) comprised of four questions. When the HLS indicates a language other than English, the student’s English language proficiency is determined using the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to be administered within 30 calendar days of school enrollment. During initial enrollment only, students identified as English learners are further assessed in their primary language to determine proficiencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Results of each student’s assessments are to be sent to their parents or guardians in a language they understand. Final results of students’ designation and English proficiencies are reported annually to the state for each school on the school’s R30-Language Census Report (R30-LC). Instructions and forms from the California Department of Education (CDE) can be found on the Web at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/lc/materials.asp .
Does the state monitor charter schools on programs and services of English learners?
Yes. All California public local educational agencies (LEAs) and selected schools are monitored on a four-year cycle that includes charter schools. All federal requirements, and some state requirements, apply to charter schools. For the 2005-06 school year, both direct and locally funded schools will be reviewed on programs and services for English learners. Reviews are conducted in the same manner for charter schools as for other public schools under the state’s Categorical Program Monitoring process (CPM), formerly called the Coordinated Compliance Review process (CCR). LEAs and schools selected will be notified and informed of the monitoring process, including locations and dates of regional CPM training. More information on the new process will be posted on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/ .
Is there any flexibility allowed in how charter schools administer the statewide testing program?
No. Charter schools are required to administer these tests following the same procedures and requirements for test administration as required of non-charter schools.
Is there any flexibility allowed in how charter schools may report their test scores?
Yes. Charter schools may choose whether their scores will be reported as a school within the district on an annual basis.
Can a charter school require each student to participate in state testing?
Charter schools must follow the same testing requirements as non-charter schools. The state requires that all students, beginning with the Class of 2006, pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to obtain a high school diploma. If warranted by answers provided on the annual Home Language Survey, students must participate in the California English Language Development Test. Student exceptions and parental opt-outs do not exist for either of these two tests.
Charter schools are required to participate in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. However, parents do have the right to waive, under specified conditions, state testing requirements with regard to STAR and Physical Fitness Testing (PFT). A charter school cannot disregard or abridge this parental right for any reason and cannot require participation in the STAR, PFT, or any test not required by the State as a condition of enrollment, even if it has embedded such a requirement into its charter. However, CDE encourages charter schools to strongly endorse STAR participation, so that student performance may be measured over time to support the intent of the original Charter School Act of 1992.
Ref:Education Code Section 47600 et. seq.
What is the Academic Performance Index (API)?
The API is the cornerstone of California's Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) of 1999. The purpose of the API is to measure the academic performance and the growth of that performance. It is a numeric index (or scale) that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. A school's score on the API is an indicator of a school's academic 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. A school's base year API is subtracted from its growth API to determine how much the school improved in a year.
API’s are reported according to a cycle. An API reporting cycle consists of two components: (1) base information and (2) growth information. In a reporting cycle, an API Base is compared to a corresponding API Growth in order to determine a growth score for a school. Generally, base reports are provided after the first of the calendar year, and the growth reports are provided each fall.
What is the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?
The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that California determine whether or not each public school and LEA is making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Federal regulations require all California LEAs and schools receive an AYP determination. This is will be noted on the Accountability Progress Report. The elements used to establish AYP include:
- The participation rate in the assessments used to establish the percentage proficient or above for AYP
- The percentage of students proficient or above in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics as compared to the Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs)
- API Growth
- The graduation rate for high schools and LEAs with high schools
For an LEA or school to make AYP, all numerically significant subgroups must meet the 95 percent participation rate criteria as well as the 2004 Annual Measurable Objectives for the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the applicable assessments.
You may access the AYP criteria for schools and LEAs on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/. Detailed descriptions of AYP criteria and calculation are provided in the 2005 Accountability Progress Report Information Guide (PDF; 625KB; 101pp.). Definitions of numerically significant subgroups are provided in the Information Guide (PDF; 625KB; 101pp.) on page 51.
The components that are noted in the box summarize whether the school or LEA met 2004 AYP criteria in each required area. "Yes" means results for all criteria were at or above 2004 targets. "No" means results for at least one criterion were below the 2004 targets. "N/A" means the participation rate or graduation rate does not apply.
Does a charter school that qualifies for the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) still receive an API score?
Yes, all schools in California receive both an Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determination and an Academic Performance Index (API) score. This is driven by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Education Code Section 52052 (h) states, “Schools in the ASAM may receive an API score, but shall not be included in the API rankings.” Per NCLB, ASAM schools now receive an API. The California Department of Education reports these scores for ASAM schools, but it does not include ranks or targets.
The ASAM provides accountability for schools serving very high-risk, highly mobile students. These schools include community day, some charter schools, continuation, opportunity, county community, county court, California Youth Authority, and other alternative schools that meet stringent criteria set by the State Board of Education. The ASAM is a multiple-indicator system that includes academic performance and pre-post assessment indicators approved by the State Board of Education. State assessment results are summarized in the Academic Performance Index. ASAM schools select indicators and report data at the end of each school year.
Does a charter school that qualifies for the ASAM still have to participate in standardized testing?
Yes, all public schools in California must participate in standardized testing unless the parent or parental representative requests that the student is exempted from participating in the testing.
How does a charter school that qualifies for the ASAM prove it met AYP under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001?
It does not. ASAM accountability is a state-mandated system while NCLB is a federal system that includes all California schools.
