(a)
(1)The Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, shall develop an Academic Performance Index (API), to measure the performance of schools and school districts, especially the academic performance of pupils.
(2)
A school or school district shall demonstrate comparable improvement in academic achievement as measured by the API by all numerically significant pupil subgroups at the school or school district, including:
(A)
Ethnic subgroups.
(B)
Socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils.
(C)
English
learners.
(D)
Pupils with disabilities.
(E)
Foster youth.
(F)
Homeless youth.
(3)
(A)For purposes of this section, a numerically significant pupil subgroup is one that consists of at least 30 pupils, each of whom has a valid test score.
(B)
Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), for a subgroup of pupils who are foster youth or homeless youth, a numerically significant pupil subgroup is one that consists of at least 15 pupils.
(C)
For a school or school district with an API score that is based on no fewer than 11 and no more than 99 pupils with valid test scores, numerically significant pupil subgroups shall
be defined by the Superintendent, with approval by the state board.
(4)
(A)The API shall consist of a variety of indicators currently reported to the department, including, but not limited to, the results of the achievement test administered pursuant to Section 60640, attendance rates for pupils in elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools, and the graduation rates for pupils in secondary schools.
(B)
The Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, may also incorporate into the API the rates at which pupils successfully promote from one grade to the next in middle school and high school, and successfully matriculate from middle school to high school.
(C)
Graduation rates for pupils in secondary schools shall be calculated for the API as follows:
(i)
Four-year graduation rates shall be calculated by taking the number of pupils who graduated on time for the current school year, which is considered to be three school years after the pupils entered grade 9 for the first time, and dividing that number by the total calculated in clause (ii).
(ii)
The number of pupils entering grade 9 for the first time in the school year three school years before the current school year, plus the number of pupils who transferred into the class graduating at the end of the current school year between the school year that was three school years before the current school year and the date of graduation, less the number of pupils who transferred out of the school between the school year that was three school years before the current school year and the date of graduation who were members of the class that is graduating at the end of the current school
year.
(iii)Five-year graduation rates shall be calculated by taking the number of pupils who graduated on time for the current school year, which is considered to be four school years after the pupils entered grade 9 for the first time, and dividing that number by the total calculated in clause (iv).
(iv)
The number of pupils entering grade 9 for the first time in the school year four years before the current school year, plus the number of pupils who transferred into the class graduating at the end of the current school year between the school year that was four school years before the current school year and the date of graduation, less the number of pupils who transferred out of the school between the school year that was four years before the current school year and the date of graduation who were members of the class that is graduating at the end of the current school
year.
(v)
Six-year graduation rates shall be calculated by taking the number of pupils who graduated on time for the current school year, which is considered to be five school years after the pupils entered grade 9 for the first time, and dividing that number by the total calculated in clause (vi).
(vi)
The number of pupils entering grade 9 for the first time in the school year five years before the current school year, plus the number of pupils who transferred into the class graduating at the end of the current school year between the school year that was five school years before the current school year and the date of graduation, less the number of pupils who transferred out of the school between the school year that was five years before the current school year and the date of graduation who were members of the class that is graduating at the end of the current school year.
(D)
The inclusion of five- and six-year graduation rates for pupils in secondary schools shall meet the following requirements:
(i)
Schools and school districts shall be granted one-half the credit in their API scores for graduating pupils in five years that they are granted for graduating pupils in four years.
(ii)
Schools and school districts shall be granted one-quarter the credit in their API scores for graduating pupils in six years that they are granted for graduating pupils in four years.
(iii)Notwithstanding clauses (i) and (ii), schools and school districts shall be granted full credit in their API scores for graduating in five or six years a pupil with disabilities who graduates in accordance with his or her individualized education program.
(E)
The pupil data collected for the API that comes from the achievement test administered pursuant to Section 60640 and the high school exit examination administered pursuant to Section 60851, when fully implemented, shall be disaggregated by special education status, English learners, socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnic group. Only the test scores of pupils who were counted as part of the enrollment in the annual data collection of the California Basic Educational Data System for the current fiscal year and who were continuously enrolled during that year may be included in the test result reports in the API score of the school.
(F)
(i)Commencing with the baseline API calculation in 2016, and for each year thereafter, results of the achievement test and other tests specified in subdivision (b) shall constitute no more than 60 percent of the value of the
index for secondary schools.
(ii)
In addition to the elements required by this paragraph, the Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, may incorporate into the index for secondary schools valid, reliable, and stable measures of pupil preparedness for postsecondary education and career.
(G)
Results of the achievement test and other tests specified in subdivision (b) shall constitute at least 60 percent of the value of the index for primary schools and middle schools.
(H)
It is the intent of the Legislature that the state’s system of public school accountability be more closely aligned with both the public’s expectations for public education and the workforce needs of the state’s economy. It is therefore necessary that the accountability system evolve beyond its narrow focus on pupil
test scores to encompass other valuable information about school performance, including, but not limited to, pupil preparedness for college and career, as well as the high school graduation rates already required by law.
(I)
The Superintendent shall annually determine the accuracy of the graduation rate data. Notwithstanding any other law, graduation rates for pupils in dropout recovery high schools shall not be included in the API. For purposes of this subparagraph, “dropout recovery high school” means a high school in which 50 percent or more of its pupils have been designated as dropouts pursuant to the exit/withdrawal codes developed by the department or left a school and were not otherwise enrolled in a school for a period of at least 180 days.
(J)
To complement the API, the Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, may develop and implement a program of school
quality review that features locally convened panels to visit schools, observe teachers, interview pupils, and examine pupil work, if an appropriation for this purpose is made in the annual Budget Act.
(K)
The Superintendent shall annually provide to local educational agencies and the public a transparent and understandable explanation of the individual components of the API and their relative values within the API.
(L)
An additional element chosen by the Superintendent and the state board for inclusion in the API pursuant to this paragraph shall not be incorporated into the API until at least one full school year after the state board’s decision to include the element into the API.
(b)
Pupil scores from the following tests, when available and when found to be valid and reliable for this purpose, shall be
incorporated into the API:
(1)
The standards-based achievement tests provided for in Section 60642.5.
(2)
The high school exit examination.
(c)
Based on the API, the Superintendent shall develop, and the state board shall adopt, expected annual percentage growth targets for all schools based on their API baseline score from the previous year. Schools are expected to meet these growth targets through effective allocation of available resources. For schools below the statewide API performance target adopted by the state board pursuant to subdivision (d), the minimum annual percentage growth target shall be 5 percent of the difference between the actual API score of a school and the statewide API performance target, or one API point, whichever is greater. Schools at or above the statewide API performance target shall
have, as their growth target, maintenance of their API score above the statewide API performance target. However, the state board may set differential growth targets based on grade level of instruction and may set higher growth targets for the lowest performing schools because they have the greatest room for improvement. To meet its growth target, a school shall demonstrate that the annual growth in its API is equal to or more than its schoolwide annual percentage growth target and that all numerically significant pupil subgroups, as defined in subdivision (a), are making comparable improvement.
(d)
Upon adoption of state performance standards by the state board, the Superintendent shall recommend, and the state board shall adopt, a statewide API performance target that includes consideration of performance standards and represents the proficiency level required to meet the state performance target.
(e)
(1)A school or school district with 11 to 99 pupils with valid test scores shall receive an API score with an asterisk that indicates less statistical certainty than API scores based on 100 or more test scores.
(2)
A school or school district annually shall receive an API score, unless the Superintendent determines that an API score would be an invalid measure of the performance of the school or school district for one or more of the following reasons:
(A)
Irregularities in testing procedures occurred.
(B)
The data used to calculate the API score of the school or school district are not representative of the pupil population at the school or school district.
(C)
Significant demographic changes in the pupil population render year-to-year comparisons of pupil performance invalid.
(D)
The department discovers or receives information indicating that the integrity of the API score has been compromised.
(E)
Insufficient pupil participation in the assessments included in the API.
(F)
A transition to new standards-based assessments compromises comparability of results across schools or school districts. The Superintendent may use the authority in this subparagraph in the 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16 school years only, with the approval of the state board.
(3)
If a school or school district has fewer than 100 pupils with valid test scores, the calculation of the API or adequate yearly progress pursuant
to the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) and federal regulations may be calculated over more than one annual administration of the tests administered pursuant to Section 60640 and the high school exit examination administered pursuant to Section 60851, consistent with regulations adopted by the state board.
(4)
Any school or school district that does not receive an API calculated pursuant to subparagraph (F) of paragraph (2) shall not receive an API growth target pursuant to subdivision (c). Schools and school districts that do not have an API calculated pursuant to subparagraph (F) of paragraph (2) shall use one of the following:
(A)
The most recent API calculation.
(B)
An average of the three most recent annual API calculations.
(C)
Alternative measures that show increases in pupil academic achievement for all groups of pupils schoolwide and among significant subgroups.
(f)
Only schools with 100 or more test scores contributing to the API may be included in the API rankings.
(g)
The Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, shall develop an alternative accountability system for schools under the jurisdiction of a county board of education or a county superintendent of schools, community day schools, nonpublic, nonsectarian schools pursuant to Section 56366, and alternative schools serving high-risk pupils, including continuation high schools and opportunity schools. Schools in the alternative accountability system may receive an API score, but shall not be included in the API rankings.
(h)
For purposes of this section, county offices of education shall be considered school districts.
(i)
For purposes of this section, “homeless youth” has the same meaning as in Section 11434a(2) of Title 42 of the United States Code.