Preparations for Running the Achievement, Growth, and AYP Models
Based on Data from the 2003-2004 School Year
Office of Research and Statistics
Mississippi Department of Education
Revised: June 15, 2004
The information below will let districts know what data we will use in the 2004 models and how we will
be using that data. If the data we pull from MSIS is more accurate this year, and the student test data
(as received from the testing companies and after one round of MSIS ID verification/correction) are
more accurate, the initial accountability reports mailed to districts (on August 6) should reflect
accurate School Performance Classifications and AYP Determinations.
1. The Students with Disabilities subgroup (labeled "IEP" on the AYP reports and "DO" in the
Mississippi Report Card) will comprise students whose SPED flag in MSIS is "Y" after completion
of the end of month 8 (end of April) data transmission from districts. You may want to use the
student information screen in MSIS and the appropriate screen/field(s) in your district student data
management package to determine whether your students were accurately coded. Students who
are eligible and receiving services under IDEA are the students whose SPED flag should be "Y."
2. The racial/ethnic subgroups for use in the AYP model and in the Mississippi Report Card will be
identified based on the race code in MSIS after completion of the end of month 8 (end of April)
data transmission from districts.
3. The gender and migrant student subgroups for use in the Mississippi Report Card will be identified
based on the gender code and migrant flag in MSIS after completion of the end of month 8 (end of
April) data transmission from districts. Note: These subgroups are not part of the AYP model.
4. The economically disadvantaged subgroup for use in the AYP model and the Mississippi Report
Card will comprise students whose school lunch indicator had been set to "F" (free) based on the
update process that was implemented by MDE beginning in January. The final deadline for
updating students' school lunch indicators was March 26. The data we will use is based on the
status of the "locked" file on that date. Note: All students in schools participating in the USDA
lunch program under "provisional" status were automatically coded as "F" (free).
5. The Mississippi Report Card contains two other subgroups. Non-disabled students will be those
students not identified as a student with a disability (see 1 above) – those whose SPED flag is "N."
Non-economically disadvantaged students will be those students whose school lunch indicator in
the "locked" file (see 4 above) is "P" (paid) or "R" (reduced).
6. During February 2004, districts received MSIS ID verification/correction forms containing
information for students whose SATP test data could not be matched accurately to MSIS. That
round of verification/correction forms covered the following SATP administrations – Summer 2003,
Fall On-Line, Regular Fall 2003. We contacted districts that had not returned their forms by the
deadline (March 31) and were able to get all the forms.
7. We scanned the red English Language Learner (ELL/LEP) scan forms that were completed by
districts through February 2004. Based on our initial comparison to MSIS, approximately 89% of
the records matched. We sent MSIS ID verification/correction forms to District ELL Coordinators.
Districts will have approximately four weeks to return the forms to MDE.
8. The ELL/LEP subgroup for use in the AYP model and in the Mississippi Report Card will be
students with an ELL/LEP scan form that could be successfully matched to MSIS following the
verification/correction process plus "new" ELL students who enroll in a school and have an
ELL/LEP scan form sent to MDE by the end of the school year (a firm data will be set later).
9. We are working on a procedure to allow districts to identify Year 1 ELL/LEP students for whom
test data will not automatically be deleted from the Achievement, Growth, and AYP models.
Expect communication on this issue from the Office of Student Assessment by June 18.
10. We expected to have all Alternate Assessment data from districts by the end of the first week in
June. Many forms have been received after the deadline and some school districts did not transfer
the alternate assessment data to the scan forms as instructed or have used up all their scannable
forms. We are working through those issues to ensure that we have data for all students who
participated in the alternate assessment process during 2003/2004. After scanning the documents
and matching the records to MSIS, we will send MSIS ID verification/correction forms out to
districts. These forms will go to the District Supervisor of Special Education Services (SPED
Director). Districts should expect the forms and arrange to have the verifications/corrections
completed quickly.
11. We expect to receive the spring 2004 SATP data from Harcourt around July 8. After matching the
records to MSIS, we will send MSIS ID verification/correction forms out to districts. These forms
will go to the District Test Coordinator (DTC). Districts should expect the forms and arrange to
have the verifications/corrections completed quickly.
12. We expect to receive the spring 2004 MCT data from CTB around July 15. After matching the
records to MSIS, we will send MSIS ID verification/correction forms out to districts. These forms
will go to the District Test Coordinator (DTC). Districts should expect the forms and arrange to
have the verifications/corrections completed quickly.
13. The USDE established a new classification for students with a Significant Cognitive Disability
(SCD). This is not a new disability category under IDEA, but a separate classification used for
implementing a new special provision within the AYP model. The Special Education Student
Update Screen in MSIS was revised to include a new "Accountability" tab. Under this tab there is
new field for identifying SCD students. Districts were given until June 10 to set the flag for their
SCD students (see the state definition for SCD). The automatic default for the SCD field is "N"
(no). It is an "edited" field that cannot be set to "Y" unless the SPED flag is also "Y." We are
currently working with districts to ensure that they have updated the SCD field.
14. We have a policy that allows the reassignment of certain Students with Disabilities to their home
school or district for accountability purposes. Last year, we had districts enter data in
spreadsheets and e-mail those files to the MDE to implement the policy. The Special Education
Student Update Screen in MSIS was revised to include a new "Accountability" tab. Under this tab
there are three new fields for identifying students who are receiving services outside their home
(resident) school or district. One field contains a flag for that situation. The question on the MSIS
screen asks whether the student is being served in his/her RESIDENT SCHOOL. The default is
set to "Y" (yes). If the user changes the flag to "N" (no), district and school code fields appear (as
"drop down" boxes). A different school within the district can be selected and the student's data
will be reassigned to the selected school for accountability purposes. If a different district is
selected, the school code will automatically be set to "001" (district level) and the student's data
will be reassigned to the selected district for accountability purposes.
15. The graduation rate objective for 2004 will be 72% (same as last year) – a graduation rate of
71.5% or higher will meet the objective. The attendance rate objective for 2004 will be 93%
(truncated value of last year's 93.8%) – schools/districts with a computed rate of 92.5% or higher
will meet the objective.
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16. We are working on a procedure to allow us to determine exactly where each student was enrolled
during specific test administration windows (e.g., fall SATP, spring SATP, MCT). This will allow us
to compute accurate test participation rates, hold schools and districts accountable for testing only
students who were enrolled during those timeframes, and avoid having to ask districts to supply
additional information (we had to use cumbersome e-mailed spreadsheets last year).
17. We will prepare a comprehensive file containing student level records for each district. Each
record will contain all the demographic and assessment data used for accountability purposes.
The files will be posted to the secure district FTP sites that we established last year.
18. For purposes of calculating participation rates for all students and for each AYP subgroup, we will
average the "final" participation rate value from the 2003 AYP model with the calculated 2004
participation rate. The rate that will be used in the 2004 model will be the greater of (a) the 2-year
average participation rate or (b) the calculated 2004 participation rate.
19. Based on additional flexibility extended by USDE, districts can document students who had a
medical emergency during the test dates and identify those students to MDE. Those students will
be subtracted from the denominator prior to calculating test participation rates for AYP. Expect
communication on this issue from the Office of Student Assessment by June 18.
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