**State of Delaware**

**Consolidated State Application**

**Accountability Workbook**

**for State Grants under Title IX, Part C, Section 9302 of the
Elementary and**

> **Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110)**

**DUE: JANUARY 31, 2003**

**Revisions Submitted: April 7, 2003 for the 2002-2003 school year**

**Revisions Submitted: March 31, 2004, and April 23, 2004 for the
2003-2004 school year (Sections 1.2, 1.6, 2.1, 3.2, 3.2a, 3.2b, 5.3,
5.4, 7.1, 7.2, 10.1)**

**Revisions Submitted: May 28, 2004 for the 2003-2004 school year
(Section 7.1)**

**Revision submitted: June 30, 3004 (Section 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: March 8, 2005 for the 2004-2005 school year
(Section 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: June 17, 2005 for the 2004-2005 school year
(Section 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: March 31, 2006 for the 2005-2006 school year
(Sections 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 2.1, 3.2, 6.1, 7.2, 9.3)**

**Revision submitted: June 1, 2006 for the 2005-2006 school year
(Sections 1.4, 1.6, 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: Feb 10, 2007 for the 2006-2007 school year
(Section 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: March 7, 2007 for the 2006-2007 school year
(Section 3.2)**

**Revision submitted: Feb 11, 2008 for the 2007-08 school year (Section
3.2)**

![](media/image1.png)

### 

**U. S. Department of Education**

**Office of Elementary and Secondary Education**

**Washington, D.C. 20202**

**Instructions for Completing Consolidated State Application
Accountability Workbook**

By January 31, 2003, States must complete and submit to the Department
this Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. We
understand that some of the critical elements for the key principles may
still be under consideration and may not yet be final State policy by
the January 31 due date. States that do not have final approval for some
of these elements or that have not finalized a decision on these
elements by January 31 should, when completing the Workbook, indicate
the status of each element which is not yet official State policy and
provide the anticipated date by which the proposed policy will become
effective. In each of these cases, States must include a timeline of
steps to complete to ensure that such elements are in place by May 1,
2003, and implemented during the 2002-2003 school year. By no later than
May 1, 2003, States must submit to the Department final information for
all sections of the Consolidated State Application Accountability
Workbook.

**Transmittal Instructions**

To expedite the receipt of this Consolidated State Application
Accountability Workbook, please send your submission via the Internet as
a .doc file, pdf file, rtf or .txt file or provide the URL for the site
where your submission is posted on the Internet. Send electronic
submissions to conapp@ed.gov.

A State that submits only a paper submission should mail the submission
by express courier to:

Celia Sims

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave., SW

Room 3W300

Washington, D.C. 20202-6400

\(202\) 401-0113

# PART I: Summary of Required Elements for State Accountability Systems 

# Instructions 

# 

# The following chart is an overview of States\' implementation of the critical elements required for approval of their State accountability systems. States must provide detailed implementation information for each of these elements in Part II of this Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. 

# 

# For each of the elements listed in the following chart, States should indicate the current implementation status in their State using the following legend:

# 

# F: State has a final policy, approved by all the required entities in the State (e.g., State Board of Education, State Legislature), for implementing this element in its accountability system. 

# 

# P: State has a proposed policy for implementing this element in its accountability system, but must still receive approval by required entities in the State (e.g., State Board of Education, State Legislature). 

# 

# W: State is still working on formulating a policy to implement this element in its accountability system. 

# 

#  

# Summary of Implementation Status for Required Elements of

# State Accountability Systems

+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| * |    | **State Accountability System Element**                      |
| * |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| 1 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system includes *all schools and districts in |
|   | .1 | the state*.                                                  |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system holds *all schools to the same         |
|   | .2 | criteria*.                                                   |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system incorporates the *academic achievement |
|   | .3 | standards*.                                                  |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system provides *information in a timely      |
|   | .4 | manner*.                                                     |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system includes *report cards*.               |
|   | .5 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 1  | Accountability system includes *rewards and sanctions*.      |
|   | .6 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 2 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 2  | The accountability system includes *all students*            |
|   | .1 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 2  | The accountability system has a consistent definition of     |
|   | .2 | *full academic year*.                                        |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 2  | The accountability system properly includes *mobile          |
|   | .3 | students*.                                                   |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 3 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| M |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| f |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| Y |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 3  | Accountability system expects *all student subgroups, public |
|   | .1 | schools, and LEAs to reach proficiency by 2013-14*.          |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 3  | Accountability system has a method for determining whether   |
|   | .2 | *student subgroups, public schools, and LEAs made adequate   |
|   |    | yearly progress.*                                            |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 3. | Accountability system establishes a *starting point*.        |
|   | 2a |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 3. | Accountability system establishes *statewide annual          |
|   | 2b | measurable objectives*.                                      |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 3. | Accountability system establishes *intermediate goals*.      |
|   | 2c |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 4 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 4  | The accountability system *determines annually the progress* |
|   | .1 | of schools and districts.                                    |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+

**STATUS Legend:**

**F** -- Final state policy

**P** -- Proposed policy, awaiting State approval

**W** -- Working to formulate policy

+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 5 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The accountability system *includes all the required student |
|   | .1 | subgroups*.                                                  |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The accountability system holds *schools and LEAs            |
|   | .2 | accountable for the progress of* *student subgroups*.        |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The accountability system includes *students with            |
|   | .3 | disabilities*.                                               |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The accountability system includes *limited English          |
|   | .4 | proficient students*.                                        |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The State has determined the minimum number of students      |
|   | .5 | sufficient to yield statistically reliable information for   |
|   |    | each purpose for which disaggregated data are used.          |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 5  | The State has strategies to protect the privacy of           |
|   | .6 | individual students in reporting achievement results and in  |
|   |    | determining whether schools and LEAs are making adequate     |
|   |    | yearly progress on the basis of disaggregated subgroups.     |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 6 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| B |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 6  | Accountability system is based *primarily on academic        |
|   | .1 | assessments*.                                                |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 7 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| I |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 7  | Accountability system includes *graduation rate for high     |
|   | .1 | school*s.                                                    |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 7  | Accountability system includes an *additional academic       |
|   | .2 | indicator for elementary and middle school*s.                |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 7  | Additional indicators are valid and reliable.                |
|   | .3 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 8 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| f |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| / |    |                                                              |
| L |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| M |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 8  | Accountability system holds students, schools and districts  |
|   | .1 | separately accountable for *reading/language arts* and       |
|   |    | *mathematics*.                                               |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 9 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| V |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 9  | Accountability system produces *reliable decisions*.         |
|   | .1 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 9  | Accountability system produces *valid decisions*.            |
|   | .2 |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 9  | State has a plan for addressing *changes in assessment and   |
|   | .3 | student population*.                                         |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 1 |    |                                                              |
| 0 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 10 | Accountability system has a means for calculating the *rate  |
|   | .1 | of participation* in the statewide assessment.               |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| F | 10 | Accountability system has a means for *applying the 95%      |
|   | .2 | assessment criteria to student subgroups* *and small         |
|   |    | schools.*                                                    |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+

**STATUS Legend:**

F -- Final policy

P -- Proposed Policy, awaiting State approval

W-- Working to formulate policy

**PART II: State Response and Activities for Meeting State
Accountability System Requirements**

Instructions

In Part II of this Workbook, States are to provide detailed information
for each of the critical elements required for State accountability
systems. States should answer the questions asked about each of the
critical elements in the State\'s accountability system. States that do
not have final approval for any of these elements or that have not
finalized a decision on these elements by January 31, 2003, should, when
completing this section of the Workbook, indicate the status of each
element that is not yet official State policy and provide the
anticipated date by which the proposed policy will become effective. In
each of these cases, States must include a timeline of steps to complete
to ensure that such elements are in place by May 1, 2003, and
implemented during the 2002-2003 school year. By no later than May 1,
2003, States must submit to the Department final information for all
sections of the Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook.

**All references to Delaware Code, Title 14 can be accessed by clicking
on the link,**

[**http://delcode.delaware.gov/title14/index.shtml#TopOfPage**](http://delcode.delaware.gov/title14/index.shtml#TopOfPage)

**All references to Department of Education Regulation can be accessed
by clicking on the link,**

[**http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/100/index.shtml#TopOfPage**](http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/100/index.shtml#TopOfPage)

**For more information about the DSTP click on the link,**

[**http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/**](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/)

**PRINCIPLE 1. A single statewide Accountability System applied to all
public schools and LEAs.**

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL          | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
| ELEMENT**           |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How does the    | Every public school   | A public school or    |
|     State           | and LEA is required   | LEA is not required   |
|     Accountability  | to make adequate      | to make adequate      |
|     System include  | yearly progress and   | yearly progress and   |
|     every public    | is included in the    | is not included in    |
|     school and LEA  | State Accountability  | the State             |
|     in the State?   | System.               | Accountability        |
|                     |                       | System.               |
|                     | State has a           |                       |
|                     | definition of "public | State policy          |
|                     | school" and "LEA" for | systematically        |
|                     | AYP accountability    | excludes certain      |
|                     | purposes.             | public schools and/or |
|                     |                       | LEAs.                 |
|                     | -   The State         |                       |
|                     |     Accountability    |                       |
|                     |     System produces   |                       |
|                     |     AYP decisions for |                       |
|                     |     all public        |                       |
|                     |     schools,          |                       |
|                     |     including public  |                       |
|                     |     schools with      |                       |
|                     |     variant grade     |                       |
|                     |     configurations    |                       |
|                     |     (e.g., K-12),     |                       |
|                     |     public schools    |                       |
|                     |     that serve        |                       |
|                     |     special           |                       |
|                     |     populations       |                       |
|                     |     (e.g.,            |                       |
|                     |     alternative       |                       |
|                     |     public schools,   |                       |
|                     |     juvenile          |                       |
|                     |     institutions,     |                       |
|                     |     state public      |                       |
|                     |     schools for the   |                       |
|                     |     blind) and public |                       |
|                     |     charter schools.  |                       |
|                     |     It also holds     |                       |
|                     |     accountable       |                       |
|                     |     public schools    |                       |
|                     |     with no grades    |                       |
|                     |     assessed (e.g.,   |                       |
|                     |     K-2).             |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Every public school and school district is currently included in a    |
| single statewide accountability system as defined in Delaware Code    |
| and Department of Education regulation. The State has a definition of |
| "public school" and "school district."                                |
|                                                                       |
| > Definitions:                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   Public School - A public school shall mean a school or Charter    |
|     School having any or all of grades kindergarten through twelve,   |
|     supported primarily from public funds and under the supervision   |
|     of public school administrators. It also shall include the        |
|     agencies of states and cities which administer the public funds.  |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   New Public School -- A school shall be considered a new school if |
|     less than sixty percent (60%) of the students would have been     |
|     enrolled in the same school together without the creation of the  |
|     new school; or it is the first year of operation of a charter     |
|     school; or two (2) or more grade levels have been added to the    |
|     school or to a charter school's charter.                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   A reorganized or vocational-technical school district is          |
|     considered an LEA for AYP purposes. A charter school authorized   |
|     by the State will be considered a school and its own LEA for      |
|     purposes of AYP. For a charter school authorized by a local       |
|     school district, the authorizing local school district will be    |
|     considered the LEA for AYP purposes.                              |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   \"School district\" means a clearly defined geographic            |
|     subdivision of the State organized for the purpose of             |
|     administering public education in that area provided that         |
|     \"school district\" shall not, for the purposes of this           |
|     subchapter and subsection (k) of § 1028 of this title, include    |
|     any district specifically created to administer a system of       |
|     vocational and/or technical education.                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   \"Reorganized school district\" or \"newly reorganized school     |
|     district\" means a school district which is constituted and       |
|     established in accordance with this chapter, provided that        |
|     \"reorganized school district\" or \"newly reorganized school     |
|     district\", for the purposes of this subchapter and               |
|     subsection (k) of § 1028 of this title, shall not include any     |
|     district specifically created to administer a system of           |
|     vocational and/or technical education.                            |
|                                                                       |
| > Schools with no tested grades (e.g., K-1, K-2 schools) will have    |
| > their AYP determinations based on the scores of students who        |
| > previously attended the school (e.g., when they take the grade 3    |
| > DSTP).                                                              |
| >                                                                     |
| > [References]{.underline}: Delaware Code, Title 14, § 154            |
| >                                                                     |
| > Delaware Code, Title 14, § 155                                      |
| >                                                                     |
| > Delaware Code, Title 14, § 1002                                     |
| >                                                                     |
| > Delaware Code, Title 14, § 1021                                     |
| >                                                                     |
| > Delaware Code, Title 14, § 1029                                     |
| >                                                                     |
| > DDOE Regulations, § 255, 1.0                                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How are all       | All public schools    | Some public schools   |
|     public schools    | and LEAs are          | and LEAs are          |
|     and LEAs held to  | systematically judged | systematically judged |
|     the same criteria | on the basis of the   | on the basis of       |
|     when making an    | same criteria when    | alternate criteria    |
|     AYP               | making an AYP         | when making an AYP    |
|     determination?    | determination.        | determination.        |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | If applicable, the    |                       |
|                       | AYP definition is     |                       |
|                       | integrated into the   |                       |
|                       | State Accountability  |                       |
|                       | System.               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware's accountability system includes an AYP determination for    |
| every public school and district. Currently has a single statewide    |
| accountability system that is applied to all public schools and       |
| districts and includes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as part of the  |
| system.                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| State law indicates that the Delaware Department of Education will    |
| utilize the collective performance of all students tested in each     |
| grade on the assessments administered pursuant to § 151(b) and (c) of |
| Delaware Code, Title 14 to determine school accountability. In        |
| schools that serve students from other schools, where the students    |
| are "tuition-based" special needs students, the district has the      |
| option of tracking the students back to the school of residence or to |
| make the school that is providing the instruction the accountability  |
| school. Whatever option the district decides for accountability       |
| purposes in 2006, the district will do the same in 2007. The NCLB     |
| Stakeholder group will re-examine the issue in 2007.                  |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware's accountability system includes an AYP determination for    |
| every public school and district, which this year will whether the    |
| given school was above the AYP target, meets the AYP target or below  |
| the AYP target. In addition, Delaware plans this year to fully merge  |
| AYP with the state's prior accountability system by including both    |
| AYP and state progress determinations. These two components will form |
| a single statewide accountability system. The state progress measure  |
| is based on the extent to which each school improved the performance  |
| of students across all performance levels and all core content areas  |
| (i.e., reading, math, science, and social studies). Schools will be   |
| given a state progress determination based on whether they perform    |
| above state performance targets ("A"), meet state performance targets |
| ("M"), or score below state performance targets ("B"). The state      |
| progress determination will not mitigate AYP (i.e,. a school that     |
| scores below the target for AYP for two consecutive years in the same |
| content area/other indicator will be identified as under improvement) |
| but will allow for more valid and reliable accountability             |
| determination and distinctions in performance for schools who are     |
| making significant progress in improving student achievement in       |
| addition to AYP.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Each school's AYP and state progress determinations will be combined  |
| to result in an overall accountability determination based on the     |
| classifications established in state law. The combinations and        |
| resulting classifications are shown in the table on the next page.    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **[Proposed Delaware Single Statewide Accountability                  |
| System]{.smallcaps}**                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | **[AYP\       | **[State        | **[State]      | **[After 2   |   |
| | (Absolute     | Progress        | {.smallcaps}** | Consecutive  |   |
| | P             | (Improvement    |                | Years]{.smal |   |
| | erformance)]{ | Performance)    | **[            | lcaps}**[^1] |   |
| | .smallcaps}** | ]{.smallcaps}** | Accountability |              |   |
| |               |                 | Determination] |              |   |
| |               |                 | {.smallcaps}** |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | A             | A               | Superior       | Academic     |   |
| |               |                 |                | Review       |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | A             | M               | Superior       |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | A             | B               | Commendable    |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | M             | A               | Superior       |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | M             | M               | Commendable    |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | M             | B               | Commendable    |              |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | B             | A               | Academic       | Academic     |   |
| |               |                 | Review         | Progress     |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | B             | M               | Academic       | Academic     |   |
| |               |                 | Review         | Progress     |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
| | B             | B               | Academic       | Academic     |   |
| |               |                 | Review         | Watch        |   |
| +---------------+-----------------+----------------+--------------+   |
|                                                                       |
| This single statewide accountability system will place value on those |
| schools whose performance of all students in all subject areas is     |
| improving in addition to AYP. It is consistent with Delaware's prior  |
| accountability system which highly valued the improvement of all      |
| students as they progressed toward meeting or exceeding the standards |
| in the core content areas of reading, mathematics, science and social |
| studies.                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| [References:]{.underline} Delaware Code Title 14, §§ 154, 155         |
|                                                                       |
| Department of Education Regulation § 103                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  Does the State    | State has defined     | Standards do not meet |
|     have, at a        | three levels of       | the legislated        |
|     minimum, a        | student achievement:  | requirements.         |
|     definition of     | *basic*, *proficient* |                       |
|     *basic*,          | and *advanced*.[^2]   |                       |
|     *proficient* and  |                       |                       |
|     *advanced*        | Student achievement   |                       |
|     student           | levels of             |                       |
|     achievement       | *proficient* and      |                       |
|     levels in         | *advanced* determine  |                       |
|     reading/language  | how well students are |                       |
|     arts and          | mastering the         |                       |
|     mathematics?      | materials in the      |                       |
|                       | State's academic      |                       |
|                       | content standards;    |                       |
|                       | and the *basic* level |                       |
|                       | of achievement        |                       |
|                       | provides complete     |                       |
|                       | information about the |                       |
|                       | progress of           |                       |
|                       | lower-achieving       |                       |
|                       | students toward       |                       |
|                       | mastering the         |                       |
|                       | *proficient* and      |                       |
|                       | *advanced* levels.    |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware has five levels of student performance on the Delaware       |
| Student Testing Program (DSTP) assessments at grades 3 through 10 in  |
| reading, writing and math and grades 4, 6, 8, and 11 in science and   |
| social studies: Distinguished (Excellent Performance), Exceeds the    |
| Standard (Very Good Performance), Meets the Standard (Good            |
| Performance), Below the Standard (Needs Improvement), and Well Below  |
| the Standard (Needs Significant Improvement). Proficient means that a |
| student has scored at "Meets the Standard" level or better.           |
| Non-proficient means that a student has scored "Below the Standard"   |
| or "Well Below the Standard" levels.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| The performance levels for reading, writing and math at grades 3      |
| through 10 and science and social studies grades 4, 6, 8 and 11 were  |
| set through a standard setting process detailed in the report         |
| Revisiting, Reviewing, and Establishing Performance Standards for the |
| Delaware Student Testing Program Reading, Writing and Mathematics.    |
| The link above will provide access to this document. A similar        |
| document was established for science and social studies and can be    |
| found at this link,                                                   |
| [http://www.doe.state.de.us/AAB/standard%20setting%20report_21        |
| .pdf](http://www.doe.state.de.us/AAB/standard setting report_21.pdf). |
|                                                                       |
| The DSTP scale scores for reading and math are reported on a          |
| developmental scale ranging from 150 to 800. The determination of the |
| DSTP scale scores for grades 3 through 10 has been done using a       |
| procedure that involves linking to the Stanford Achievement Test      |
| version 10 (SAT 10) scores for reading and math. The DSTP in reading  |
| and math contains a portion of the SAT10. For writing, raw scores are |
| used to determine performance levels at grades 3 through 10.          |
|                                                                       |
| [References:]{.underline}                                             |
| <http:/                                                               |
| /www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/DSTP_gen_info/performancelevel.shtml> |
|                                                                       |
| <http://delcode.delaware.gov/title14/c001/sc03/index.shtml>, §101     |
|                                                                       |
| [http://www.doe.k12.de.us/AAB/                                        |
| Merged%20report%20of%20cut%20score%20review%20Oct%202005.pdf](http:// |
| www.doe.k12.de.us/AAB/Merged report of cut score review Oct 2005.pdf) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 4.  How does the      | > State provides      | Timeline does not     |
|     State provide     | > decisions about     | provide sufficient    |
|     accountability    | > adequate yearly     | time for LEAs to      |
|     and adequate      | > progress in time    | fulfill their         |
|     yearly progress   | > for LEAs to         | responsibilities      |
|     decisions and     | > implement the       | before the beginning  |
|     information in a  | > required provisions | of the next academic  |
|     timely manner?    | > before the          | year.                 |
|                       | > beginning of the    |                       |
|                       | > next academic year. |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | State allows enough   |                       |
|                       | time to notify        |                       |
|                       | parents about public  |                       |
|                       | school choice or      |                       |
|                       | supplemental          |                       |
|                       | educational service   |                       |
|                       | options, time for     |                       |
|                       | parents to make an    |                       |
|                       | informed decision,    |                       |
|                       | and time to implement |                       |
|                       | public school choice  |                       |
|                       | and supplemental      |                       |
|                       | educational services. |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

District and school profiles (report cards) are issued annually in
August. These report cards will contain AYP and accountability ratings
based on the state assessments that were administered in the spring of
the same year (e.g. March 2003). The testing period for reading, writing
and math DSTP assessments occurs in March of each school year. The
individual student assessment results are received from the testing
vendor in an electronic score file the Friday before Memorial Day each
year. Individual student results are released electronically to schools
and districts in early June for student accountability purposes. AYP
determinations will be calculated during the month of June and released
to schools and districts the beginning of July. The review process would
then begin and the final determinations would be released to schools and
districts by the beginning of August. This provides time for schools to
notify parents of any sanctions from NCLB or state law prior to the
beginning of the school year.

In addition, beginning with school year 2005-06, Delaware would like to
include the scores of students who retake the DSTP in the summer. The
students who would be eligible are those students in grades 3, 5, 8
reading or grade 8 math who attend summer school because they scored
below proficient. Should a student's score change to proficient after
the summer retake, the school's accountability rating will be
re-calculated and changed if earned. The number of students in summer
2004 and 2005 statewide that re-took the DSTP and scored at the
proficient level can be found in a table below.

AYP determinations will still be calculated and released as stated in
the first paragraph. Schools under improvement will move to the next
level of sanctions as required. If a student's score changes, the
school's accountability rating will be recalculated and changed
accordingly. For schools under improvement, the worst case scenario
would be that they change from not making AYP to making AYP, thereby
holding the level of sanctions or if it is the second year of making
AYP, the school would move out from under AYP. The change will result in
the rating staying as is or improving. There is no chance that a
school's rating will decrease. Further, if a school's first rating
issued before summer school results have been included indicates that
the school is under improvement and has to offer choice and/or
supplemental services, the school will do so and a change in rating
after summer scores have been included will not result in a change of
those services to students.

  -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- --------------
                 \# PL 1 to 3   #PL 2 to 3     Total Tested   Percent Moving
                                                              to Proficient

  Reading 2004   262            621            4569           19.3

  Reading 2005   325            533            2730           31.4

  Math 2004      173            223            2696           14.6

  Math 2005      136            266            2466           16.3
  -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- --------------

[References:]{.underline}
<http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/DSTP_gen_info/testingdates.shtml>

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 5.  Does the State    | The State Report Card | The State Report Card |
|     Accountability    | includes all the      | does not include all  |
|     System produce an | required data         | the required data     |
|     annual State      | elements \[see        | elements.             |
|     Report Card?      | Appendix A for the    |                       |
|                       | list of required data | The State Report Card |
|                       | elements\].           | is not available to   |
|                       |                       | the public.           |
|                       | The State Report Card |                       |
|                       | is available to the   |                       |
|                       | public at the         |                       |
|                       | beginning of the      |                       |
|                       | academic year.        |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | The State Report Card |                       |
|                       | is accessible in      |                       |
|                       | languages of major    |                       |
|                       | populations in the    |                       |
|                       | State, to the extent  |                       |
|                       | possible.             |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | Assessment results    |                       |
|                       | and other academic    |                       |
|                       | indicators (including |                       |
|                       | graduation rates) are |                       |
|                       | reported by student   |                       |
|                       | subgroups             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| [State Report Card -- Annual Statewide Summary and Educational        |
| Statistics Report]{.underline}                                        |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware has produced a state report card (Annual Statewide Summary)  |
| annually since 1998. These documents contain a variety of information |
| at the state level (student demographics, financial, student          |
| assessment, and accountability) as well as student assessment data at |
| the school level. Beginning with the 1998-1999 school year data from  |
| the Delaware Student Information System (DELSIS) was used to          |
| disaggregate assessment results by the subgroups required under 1994  |
| ESEA and NCLB.                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| The Department of Education has made the changes necessary to the     |
| report card format, release timing, and distribution process to       |
| comply with specific requirements in NCLB. This report card is        |
| available annually in August on the Delaware Department of Education  |
| website and will to the extent possible be published in accessible    |
| languages of major populations in Delaware. All assessment results    |
| and other academic indicators will be reported by race/ethnicity,     |
| income level, education type (special education v. not special        |
| education), and limited English proficiency status (LEP v. not LEP).  |
|                                                                       |
| [School and District Report Cards -- School and District              |
| Profiles]{.underline}                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware has published school and district report cards since 1997.   |
| The Profiles are available on the Delaware Department of Education    |
| website and are distributed in hard copy to schools for distribution  |
| to parents. The public libraries in Delaware also house copies of     |
| current and previous school and district profiles. The current format |
| requires all of the data elements as included by Appendix A. For the  |
| 2003-04 school year only, reliable HQ data will not be available in   |
| time for the printed form but will be included in the web-based       |
| format.                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| [References:]{.underline} Delaware Code, Title 14, §§ 124, 124A       |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware Annual Statewide Summary --                                  |
| [www.doe.k12.de.us](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/)                        |
|                                                                       |
| *(DSTP Public Access)*                                                |
|                                                                       |
| School and District Profiles --                                       |
| [www.doe.k12.de.us](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/)                        |
|                                                                       |
| *(School/District Profiles*)                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL          | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
| ELEMENT**           |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 6.  How does the    | State uses one or     | State does not        |
|     State           | more types of rewards | implement rewards or  |
|     Accountability  | and sanctions, where  | sanctions for public  |
|     System include  | the criteria are:     | schools and LEAs      |
|     rewards and     |                       | based on adequate     |
|     sanctions for   | -   Set by the State; | yearly progress.      |
|     public schools  |                       |                       |
|     and LEAs?[^3]   | -   Based on adequate |                       |
|                     |     yearly progress   |                       |
|                     |     decisions; and,   |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | -   Applied uniformly |                       |
|                     |     across public     |                       |
|                     |     schools and LEAs. |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware's system of rewards and sanctions focuses on support for     |
| continuous improvement of all public schools and districts as well as |
| for the state as a whole. This system is structured to ensure full    |
| compliance with the No Child Left Behind requirements and to align    |
| consequences for Title I and non-Title I. Current Delaware Code,      |
| Title 14, § 154 requires all schools, regardless of Title I status,   |
| to complete a School Improvement plan if the school is Under School   |
| Improvement. The plan requires a representation of the broad school   |
| community, including parents, to develop and implement an appropriate |
| school-based plan. The plan must include a thorough review of         |
| appropriate data and must be approved by the local board of education |
| after receiving public comment. In addition, Delaware has in place a  |
| district-level consolidated application process that requires         |
| districts to prepare an overall district plan for continuous          |
| improvement based on strong data analysis, collaborative community    |
| involvement and comprehensive program reviews.                        |
|                                                                       |
| AYP and accountability decisions for each public school and for each  |
| LEA will be made annually. This will take place following Delaware's  |
| receipt of testing results and completion of accountability           |
| calculations. The first identification of schools and districts under |
| the new provisions occurred in July, 2003. As noted in critical       |
| element 1.5, Delaware Code (Title 14, §§ 124, 124A) requires that     |
| school and district profiles (report cards) be issued annually. They  |
| include information about accountability as well as assessment,       |
| discipline, and teacher qualification information. Delaware has been  |
| assigning accountability ratings to schools based on student          |
| assessment data since school year 2000-2001.                          |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware has a system of rewards and consequences for all public      |
| schools and districts including Title I and non-Title I schools and   |
| districts. The following chart summarizes the rewards and             |
| consequences.                                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**[Summary of Proposed Delaware Integration of Federal and State Rewards
and Consequences]{.smallcaps}**

+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
| **[S  |       | **[Rewards and Consequences]{.smallcaps}**           |
| chool |       |                                                      |
| ]{.sm |       | **For Title I and Non-Title I Schools**              |
| allca |       |                                                      |
| ps}** |       |                                                      |
|       |       |                                                      |
| **Sta |       |                                                      |
| tus** |       |                                                      |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
| ***   | *     | -   *Recognition*                                    |
| Rewar | **Sup |                                                      |
| ds*** | erior | -   *Flexibility/Autonomy*                           |
|       | or    |                                                      |
|       | Comm  |                                                      |
|       | endab |                                                      |
|       | le*** |                                                      |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
| **    | **Aca | -   **Revise school improvement plan** (which are    |
| Conse | demic |     required of all schools, regardless of status),  |
| -quen | Rev   |     [^4] including presentation to local board       |
| ces** | iew** |     (charter schools under DDE must submit plans to  |
|       |       |     DDE)                                             |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   *Must* use school improvement planning process;  |
|       |       |     *may* use School Review process                  |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
|       | **    | ***The above plus:***                                |
|       | AP/AW |                                                      |
|       | (Year | -   Submit revised school improvement plan to DDE    |
|       | 1*    |                                                      |
|       | *[^5] | -   **Receive technical assistance from LEA** (and   |
|       | **)** |     DDE as appropriate); may include site visits; AP |
|       |       |     schools *may* and AW schools *must* use School   |
|       |       |     Review process                                   |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   **Spend 10% of Title I funds on professional     |
|       |       |     development** (non-Title I schools must target   |
|       |       |     professional development toward subgroups that   |
|       |       |     did not meet AYP)                                |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   **Offer public school choice to designated       |
|       |       |     schools w/in the district**                      |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
|       | **    | ***The above plus*:**                                |
|       | AP/AW |                                                      |
|       | (Year | -   **Provide supplemental educational services**    |
|       | 2^    |     (non-Title I schools must target state required  |
|       | 6^)** |     extra time toward subgroups that did not meet    |
|       |       |     AYP)                                             |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   AP and AW schools *must* use School Review       |
|       |       |     process                                          |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
|       | **AP  | ***The above plus*:**                                |
|       | /AW** |                                                      |
|       |       | -   **Corrective action, including at least one of   |
|       | **    |     the following: replace appropriate school staff  |
|       | (Year |     relevant to failure to make AYP; institute new   |
|       | 3^    |     curriculum; significantly decrease school        |
|       | 6^)** |     management authority; appoint outside expert to  |
|       |       |     advise school; extend school day or year; or     |
|       |       |     restructure internal organization of school**    |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   LEA chooses corrective action(s) and submits     |
|       |       |     plan to DDE for approval, which will work w/ LEA |
|       |       |     to resolve any issues.                           |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
|       | **AP  | ***The above plus*:**                                |
|       | /AW** |                                                      |
|       |       | -   **Plan for restructuring (see below).**          |
|       | **    |                                                      |
|       | (Year | -   LEA chooses restructuring action(s) and submits  |
|       | 4^    |     plan for DDE and State Board approval.           |
|       | 6^)** |                                                      |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+
|       | **AP  | ***The above plus*:**                                |
|       | /AW** |                                                      |
|       |       | -   **Restructuring/alternative governance           |
|       | **    |     consistent with state law, including at least    |
|       | (Year |     one of the following: reopening as public        |
|       | 5^    |     charter school; replacing all school staff       |
|       | 6^)** |     relevant to failure to make AYP; contract with   |
|       |       |     an entity to operate the public school; or any   |
|       |       |     other major restructuring that makes fundamental |
|       |       |     reforms and has substantial promise of enabling  |
|       |       |     the school to make AYP**                         |
|       |       |                                                      |
|       |       | -   Implement restructuring plan as approved.        |
+-------+-------+------------------------------------------------------+

+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| **    |        | **Districts**                                       |
| DISTR |        |                                                     |
| ICT** |        |                                                     |
|       |        |                                                     |
| **Sta |        |                                                     |
| tus** |        |                                                     |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| ***   | ***Su  | -   *Recognition*                                   |
| Rewar | perior |                                                     |
| ds*** | or     | -   *Flexibility/Autonomy*                          |
|       | Co     |                                                     |
|       | mmenda |                                                     |
|       | ble*** |                                                     |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| **    | **Ac   | -   **Revise district improvement plan** (which are |
| Conse | ademic |     required of all LEAs, regardless of status)[^6] |
| -quen | Re     |                                                     |
| ces** | view** | -   Submit district improvement plan to DDE         |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
|       | **A    | ***The above plus*:**                               |
|       | P/AW** |                                                     |
|       |        | -   Obtain DDE approval of district improvement     |
|       | *      |     plan                                            |
|       | *(Year |                                                     |
|       | 1)**   | -   **Spend 10% of Title I funds on professional    |
|       |        |     development** (non-Title I districts must       |
|       |        |     target professional development toward          |
|       |        |     subgroups that did not meet AYP)                |
|       |        |                                                     |
|       |        | -   **Specify responsibilities of the SEA including |
|       |        |     specifying the technical assistance the SEA     |
|       |        |     will provide upon LEA request,** including      |
|       |        |     District Review process and/or site visits as   |
|       |        |     appropriate                                     |
|       |        |                                                     |
|       |        | -   **May take corrective action (below)**          |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
|       | **A    | -   Revise district improvement plan                |
|       | P/AW** |                                                     |
|       |        |                                                     |
|       | *      |                                                     |
|       | *(Year |                                                     |
|       | 2)**   |                                                     |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
|       | **A    | ***The above plus*:**                               |
|       | P/AW** |                                                     |
|       |        | -   **Corrective action consistent with state law,  |
|       | *      |     including at least one of the following: defer  |
|       | *(Year |     programmatic or reduce administrative funds;    |
|       | 3)**   |     institute new curriculum; replace appropriate   |
|       |        |     district staff relevant to failure to make AYP; |
|       |        |     remove particular schools from the district's   |
|       |        |     jurisdiction and establish alternate public     |
|       |        |     governance; appoint receiver or trustee in      |
|       |        |     place of local superintendent and school board; |
|       |        |     abolish or restructure LEA; authorize students  |
|       |        |     to transfer to higher-performing LEA and        |
|       |        |     provide transportation**                        |
|       |        |                                                     |
|       |        | -   LEA chooses corrective action(s) and submits    |
|       |        |     plan to DDE for approval, which will work w/    |
|       |        |     LEA to resolve any issues. DDE will finalize    |
|       |        |     plan and present to State Board for approval    |
+-------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+

Delaware places a high value on an accountability system that produces
interventions, which lead to improved student achievement.

[Reference:]{.underline} Delaware Code, Title 14, §§§ 124, 124a, 154

**PRINCIPLE 2. All students are included in the State Accountability
System.**

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How does the      | All students in the   | Public school         |
|     State             | State are included in | students exist in the |
|     Accountability    | the State             | State for whom the    |
|     System include    | Accountability        | State Accountability  |
|     all students in   | System.               | System makes no       |
|     the State?        |                       | provision.            |
|                       | The definitions of    |                       |
|                       | "public school" and   |                       |
|                       | "LEA" account for all |                       |
|                       | students enrolled in  |                       |
|                       | the public school     |                       |
|                       | district, regardless  |                       |
|                       | of program or type of |                       |
|                       | public school.        |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > All students in Delaware public schools, including students with    |
| > disabilities and students with limited English proficiency, are     |
| > required to participate in the statewide assessment program and the |
| > data for all students who have been in the school, district or      |
| > state, as appropriate, for a full academic year are included in     |
| > accountability decisions. Delaware Code, Title 14, Section 151,     |
| > establishes a statewide testing program in which all students       |
| > participate. Students with disabilities and/or limited English      |
| > proficiency may take the test with certain testing accommodations   |
| > per the *Guidelines for Inclusion* document, Delaware Department of |
| > Education Regulation § 101, 1.1.                                    |
| >                                                                     |
| > No students are exempted from the assessment or accountability      |
| > system based on demographics, instructional program or type of      |
| > school. However, as permitted in the new guidance, where an         |
| > unexpected medical condition prohibits inclusion during the test    |
| > window, the school or district may, on a case-by-case basis with    |
| > documentation, request that a student be dropped from the           |
| > participation rate.                                                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Currently, for accountability purposes, students are tracked back   |
| > to the school that provided the instructional services on a         |
| > pro-rated basis for grades K - 3. When students take the grade 3    |
| > assessment, provided that the student was in the school for full    |
| > academic year, then: the school that provided Kindergarten services |
| > gets 10% of the score; the school that provided first grade         |
| > services gets 30% of the score; the school that provided second     |
| > grade services gets 30% of the score; and the school that provided  |
| > third grade service gets 30% of the score. For grades 4 through 8   |
| > and grade 10, 100% of the score will be apportioned to the single   |
| > grade. Students in grade 4 and beyond are not tracked back over the |
| > grade clusters.                                                     |
| >                                                                     |
| > [Reference:]{.underline} *Guidelines for the Inclusion of Students  |
| > with Disabilities and Students with Limited English Proficiency*    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  How does the      | The State has a       | LEAs have varying     |
|     State define      | definition of "full   | definitions of "full  |
|     "full academic    | academic year" for    | academic year."       |
|     year" for         | determining which     |                       |
|     identifying       | students are to be    | The State's           |
|     students in AYP   | included in decisions | definition excludes   |
|     decisions?        | about AYP.            | students who must     |
|                       |                       | transfer from one     |
|                       | The definition of     | district to another   |
|                       | full academic year is | as they advance to    |
|                       | consistent and        | the next grade.       |
|                       | applied statewide.    |                       |
|                       |                       | The definition of     |
|                       |                       | full academic year is |
|                       |                       | not applied           |
|                       |                       | consistently.         |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The following definitions of full academic year will be used for      |
| determining which students will be included in accountability         |
| decisions:                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| For school accountability (AYP): Students enrolled continuously in    |
| the school from September 30 through May 31 of a school year will be  |
| deemed as being enrolled for a full academic year.                    |
|                                                                       |
| For district accountability (AYP): Students enrolled continuously in  |
| the district (but not necessarily the same school) from September 30  |
| through May 31 of a school year will be deemed as being enrolled for  |
| a full academic year.                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| For state accountability (AYP): Students enrolled continuously in the |
| state (but not necessarily the same school or district) from          |
| September 30 through May 31 of a school year will be deemed as being  |
| enrolled for a full academic year.                                    |
|                                                                       |
| Because of our statewide pupil accounting system and DELSIS, the      |
| state can track where students are enrolled on a weekly basis.        |
| Individual student data is received in the Department from every      |
| school and district on a weekly basis including updated student       |
| demographic data.                                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.  How does the      | State holds public    | State definition      |
|     State             | schools accountable   | requires students to  |
|     Accountability    | for students who were | attend the same       |
|     System determine  | enrolled at the same  | public school for     |
|     which students    | public school for a   | more than a full      |
|     have attended the | full academic year.   | academic year to be   |
|     same public       |                       | included in public    |
|     school and/or LEA | State holds LEAs      | school                |
|     for a full        | accountable for       | accountability.       |
|     academic year?    | students who transfer |                       |
|                       | during the full       | State definition      |
|                       | academic year from    | requires students to  |
|                       | one public school     | attend school in the  |
|                       | within the district   | same district for     |
|                       | to another public     | more than a full      |
|                       | school within the     | academic year to be   |
|                       | district.             | included in district  |
|                       |                       | accountability.       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | State holds public    |
|                       |                       | schools accountable   |
|                       |                       | for students who have |
|                       |                       | not attended the same |
|                       |                       | public school for a   |
|                       |                       | full academic year.   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| As explained in 2.1 and 2.2, the state's definition of a full         |
| academic year uses information from the statewide pupil accounting    |
| system that all public schools and districts, including charter       |
| schools, are required to use. The statewide pupil accounting system   |
| (DELSIS) is updated by schools and districts weekly so that state     |
| level student demographic data are current. Every student enrolled in |
| a Delaware public school is assigned a unique six-digit ID number     |
| upon entering the public school system. Student IDs are not           |
| re-assigned upon leaving the system or graduation. They are assigned  |
| to the student for a lifetime.                                        |
|                                                                       |
| Data requirements for all schools and districts are published         |
| annually in the Data Acquisition Calendar. Meetings are held          |
| throughout the year to inform and update pupil accounting users.      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 3. State definition of AYP is based on expectations for
growth in student achievement that is continuous and substantial, such
that all students are proficient in reading/language arts and
mathematics no later than 2013-2014.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How does the     | The State has a       | State definition does |
|     State's          | timeline for ensuring | not require all       |
|     definition of    | that all students     | students to achieve   |
|     adequate yearly  | will meet or exceed   | proficiency by        |
|     progress require | the State's           | 2013-2014.            |
|     all students to  | proficient level of   |                       |
|     be proficient in | academic achievement  | State extends the     |
|     reading/language | in reading/language   | timeline past the     |
|     arts and         | arts[^7] and          | 2013-2014 academic    |
|     mathematics by   | mathematics, not      | year.                 |
|     the 2013-2014    | later than 2013-2014. |                       |
|     academic year?   |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Starting points, intermediate goals and annual measurable objectives  |
| have been set separately for reading/language arts and mathematics.   |
| In both cases Delaware's definition of AYP requires that all students |
| meet or exceed proficiency in the Delaware Student Testing Program no |
| later than 2013-2014. All schools and districts will be rated based   |
| on the percent of students meeting or exceeding proficiency in        |
| relation to the target performance, which increases over time.        |
|                                                                       |
| Reading/language arts proficiency will be based on a combination of   |
| the reading and writing DSTP assessments given annually. The reading  |
| assessment will be weighted at 90% and writing at 10% as described in |
| critical element 8.1. Both the reading and writing assessments are    |
| used to measure progress towards meeting the Delaware English         |
| Language Arts content standards; however the portion of the standards |
| requiring students to demonstrate knowledge about writing is less     |
| than 25% of the English Language Arts standards. Since the writing    |
| assessment is based on only two items, the reliability of the         |
| assessment varies from year to year and grade to grade. Because of    |
| this variability in reliability and the percent of the English        |
| Language Arts standards measured by the writing assessment, including |
| writing at a weight of 10% will help ensure more reliable school      |
| classifications.                                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  How does the     | For a public school   | State uses different  |
|     State            | and LEA to make       | method for            |
|     Accountability   | adequate yearly       | calculating how       |
|     System determine | progress, each        | public schools and    |
|     whether each     | student subgroup must | LEAs make AYP.        |
|     student          | meet or exceed the    |                       |
|     subgroup, public | State annual          |                       |
|     school and LEA   | measurable            |                       |
|     makes AYP?       | objectives, each      |                       |
|                      | student subgroup must |                       |
|                      | have at least a 95%   |                       |
|                      | participation rate in |                       |
|                      | the statewide         |                       |
|                      | assessments, and the  |                       |
|                      | school must meet the  |                       |
|                      | State's requirement   |                       |
|                      | for other academic    |                       |
|                      | indicators.           |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | However, if in any    |                       |
|                      | particular year the   |                       |
|                      | student subgroup does |                       |
|                      | not meet those annual |                       |
|                      | measurable            |                       |
|                      | objectives, the       |                       |
|                      | public school or LEA  |                       |
|                      | may be considered to  |                       |
|                      | have made AYP, if the |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students in that      |                       |
|                      | group who did not     |                       |
|                      | meet or exceed the    |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement  |                       |
|                      | on the State          |                       |
|                      | assessments for that  |                       |
|                      | year decreased by 10% |                       |
|                      | of that percentage    |                       |
|                      | from the preceding    |                       |
|                      | public school year;   |                       |
|                      | that group made       |                       |
|                      | progress on one or    |                       |
|                      | more of the State's   |                       |
|                      | academic indicators;  |                       |
|                      | and that group had at |                       |
|                      | least 95%             |                       |
|                      | participation rate on |                       |
|                      | the statewide         |                       |
|                      | assessment.           |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

**STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

For a school or district to meet AYP, the aggregate student population
and each sub-population of students must meet or exceed the target for
percent proficient (using a confidence interval); 95% of the students as
an aggregate and within each sub-population must participate in the
state assessments of reading/language arts and math; and the school must
show progress towards the state target for other academic indicators.
Students are extended back to the school that provided the instructional
services for the grade clusters as explained in critical element 2.1. In
calculating the percent proficient each year, the state will average the
most recent two years of test scores (including the current year's
scores) and compare the results to the current year's percent
proficient. The highest percent proficient score will be used to
determine the school or district AYP status.

If a school or district fails to meet the target for percent proficient
(using a confidence interval of 98%) for a given sub-population or for
the school in aggregate, safe harbor provisions will be examined for
that population. Safe harbor will be used when the percentage of
students not meeting or exceeding the standards decreases by at least
10% when compared with the previous year's data, the participation rate
for that population is at least 95%, and the subgroup shows progress on
the other academic indicator. Further, a confidence interval of 75% will
be used for determining whether or not a subgroup meets required
decrease.

If a school or district does not meet the ELA or math proficiency target
solely because of the special education subgroup, then a factor of 13%
(calculated by dividing 2% by 15.5%) will be added to the original
percent proficient that was calculated for the school or district. After
the addition of 13%, the new percent proficient will be matched against
the targets to determine if the school or district makes AYP. In this
final check, confidence intervals will not be used.

The following is the sequence of steps used to determine the
accountability ratings and make AYP decisions:

1.  Determine the number of students in each school for reporting and
    accountability decisions (critical element 2.2) by total school and
    subgroup. If the subgroup is smaller than the minimum number of
    students for accountability purposes (n\>=40), then the subgroup
    will not be used in determining accountability or AYP.

2.  Determine the participation rate as defined in critical element 10.1
    for the total school and each subgroup identified in step 1
    individually for reading/language arts and math.

3.  If the school as a whole or any subgroup does not have 95%
    participation in either reading/language arts or math, then the
    school is deemed as NOT making AYP for this year.

4.  Determine the percent of students that were proficient or better in
    reading/language arts and were also in the school for a full
    academic year. Reading/language arts proficiency is determined by
    combining the percent proficient on the reading DSTP and the percent
    proficient on the writing DSTP at a weighting of 90% (reading) and
    10% (writing).

5.  Determine if the total school and each subgroup of sufficient size
    met the annual objective or intermediate target for reading/language
    arts using a 98% confidence interval.

6.  If the total school or a subgroup of sufficient size did not meet
    the target/goal, apply the safe harbor provision as described by
    NCLB.

7.  Determine the percent of students that were proficient or better in
    math and were also in the school for a full academic year.

8.  Determine if the total school and each subgroup of sufficient size
    met the annual objective or intermediate target for math using a 98%
    confidence interval.

9.  If the total school or a subgroup of sufficient size did not meet
    the target/goal, apply the safe harbor provision as described by
    NCLB using a confidence interval of 75%.

10. If the school as a whole or any subgroup does not meet the targets
    for reading/language arts, math or other indicator and safe harbor
    provisions are not met, then the school is deemed as NOT making AYP
    for this year.

> The same process will be used for determining district AYP decisions.

A school that does not meet AYP for two consecutive years in the same
content area or other indicators will be classified as Under
Improvement. References made to not meeting AYP for two consecutive
years in the same content areas includes reading/language arts, math, or
other indicators. A district that does not meet the AYP target in the
same content area or other indicator at all three levels of elementary,
middle and high school for two consecutive years will be classified as
Under Improvement.

For the 2006-2007 school year, Delaware will also participate in the
growth model pilot as approved by the USED in Nov 9, 2006. The growth
model proposal can be found at
[http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/Delaware\'s%20Growth%20Proposal%20for%202006%20as%20of%20033106.doc](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/Delaware's Growth Proposal for 2006 as of 033106.doc)

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.2a What is the     | Using data from the   | The State             |
| State's starting     | 2001-2002 school      | Accountability System |
| point for            | year, the State       | uses a different      |
| calculating Adequate | established separate  | method for            |
| Yearly Progress?     | starting points in    | calculating the       |
|                      | reading/language arts | starting point (or    |
|                      | and mathematics for   | baseline data).       |
|                      | measuring the         |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students meeting or   |                       |
|                      | exceeding the State's |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement. |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | Each starting point   |                       |
|                      | is based, at a        |                       |
|                      | minimum, on the       |                       |
|                      | higher of the         |                       |
|                      | following percentages |                       |
|                      | of students at the    |                       |
|                      | proficient level: (1) |                       |
|                      | the percentage in the |                       |
|                      | State of proficient   |                       |
|                      | students in the       |                       |
|                      | lowest-achieving      |                       |
|                      | student subgroup; or, |                       |
|                      | (2) the percentage of |                       |
|                      | proficient students   |                       |
|                      | in a public school at |                       |
|                      | the 20^th^ percentile |                       |
|                      | of the State's total  |                       |
|                      | enrollment among all  |                       |
|                      | schools ranked by the |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students at the       |                       |
|                      | proficient level.     |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | A State may use these |                       |
|                      | procedures to         |                       |
|                      | establish separate    |                       |
|                      | starting points by    |                       |
|                      | grade span; however,  |                       |
|                      | the starting point    |                       |
|                      | must be the same for  |                       |
|                      | all like schools      |                       |
|                      | (e.g., one same       |                       |
|                      | starting point for    |                       |
|                      | all elementary        |                       |
|                      | schools, one same     |                       |
|                      | starting point for    |                       |
|                      | all middle            |                       |
|                      | schools...).          |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The state uses a single statewide starting point for reading/language |
| arts and a single starting point for math calculated using the        |
| procedures specified in NCLB and USED regulations for Title I. The    |
| starting points were determined using two years of data from the      |
| Spring reading/writing and math assessments from 2001 and 2002.       |
|                                                                       |
| The procedures for calculating the starting points were as follows:   |
|                                                                       |
| 1.  Calculate the ELA percent proficient for each school based on a   |
|     combination of the DSTP 01 and DSTP 02 scores.                    |
|                                                                       |
| 2.  Rank order the schools by percent proficient and include the      |
|     enrollment for the school.                                        |
|                                                                       |
| 3.  Count from the bottom of the rank listing until the 20^th^        |
|     percentile of enrollment is found.                                |
|                                                                       |
| 4.  The ELA percent proficient for the school at the 20^th^           |
|     percentile of enrollment is the starting point.                   |
|                                                                       |
| 5.  Repeat the process for math.                                      |
|                                                                       |
| This results in a single statewide starting point for all schools and |
| subgroups in the state.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| The starting point for ELA is 57% and math is 33%.                    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  What are the     | State has annual      | The State             |
|     State's annual   | measurable objectives | Accountability System |
|     measurable       | that are consistent   | uses another method   |
|     objectives for   | with a state's        | for calculating       |
|     determining      | intermediate goals    | annual measurable     |
|     adequate yearly  | and that identify for | objectives.           |
|     progress?        | each year a minimum   |                       |
|                      | percentage of         | The State             |
|                      | students who must     | Accountability System |
|                      | meet or exceed the    | does not include      |
|                      | proficient level of   | annual measurable     |
|                      | academic achievement  | objectives.           |
|                      | on the State's        |                       |
|                      | academic assessments. |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | The State's annual    |                       |
|                      | measurable objectives |                       |
|                      | ensure that all       |                       |
|                      | students meet or      |                       |
|                      | exceed the State's    |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement  |                       |
|                      | within the timeline.  |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | The State's annual    |                       |
|                      | measurable objectives |                       |
|                      | are the same          |                       |
|                      | throughout the State  |                       |
|                      | for each public       |                       |
|                      | school, each LEA, and |                       |
|                      | each subgroup of      |                       |
|                      | students.             |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

  The graph below shows the annual measurable objectives for AYP
  proficiency in ELA and mathematics over time. The annual measurable
  objectives are the same for all schools, districts and subgroups of
  students.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

![](media/image2.wmf){width="5.997916666666667in"
height="4.361111111111111in"}

> Annual Targets for ELA (5.375%) Annual Targets for Math (8.375%)
>
> Starting Point (2003) is 57% Starting Point (2003) is 33%

Actual Actual

2003 57% 2003 33%

2004 57% 2004 33%

2005 62% 2005 41%

2006 62% 2006 41%

2007 68% 2007 50%

2008 68% 2008 50%

2009 73% 2009 58%

2010 79% 2010 67%

2011 84% 2011 75%

2012 89% 2012 83%

2013 95% 2013 92%

2014 100% 2014 100%

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.2c What are the    | State has established | The State uses        |
| State's intermediate | intermediate goals    | another method for    |
| goals for            | that increase in      | calculating           |
| determining adequate | equal increments over | intermediate goals.   |
| yearly progress?     | the period covered by |                       |
|                      | the State timeline.   | The State does not    |
|                      |                       | include intermediate  |
|                      | -   The first         | goals in its          |
|                      |     incremental       | definition of         |
|                      |     increase takes    | adequate yearly       |
|                      |     effect not later  | progress.             |
|                      |     than the          |                       |
|                      |     2004-2005         |                       |
|                      |     academic year.    |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | -   Each following    |                       |
|                      |     incremental       |                       |
|                      |     increase occurs   |                       |
|                      |     within three      |                       |
|                      |     years.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

  The state has established seven intermediate goals with the first
  intermediate goal occurring in the 2004-2005 school year. The second
  intermediate goal will occur in 2006-2007; the third in 2008-2009; the
  fourth in 2009-2010, the fifth in 2010-2011, the sixth in 2011-2012,
  the seventh in 2012-2013. By 2014, all students will be meeting or
  exceeding the standards in reading/language arts and math per the
  accountability system (see table in 3.2b for more information).
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

**PRINCIPLE 4. State makes annual decisions about the achievement of all
public schools and LEAs.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | ## EXAMPLES FOR       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How does the     | AYP decisions for     | AYP decisions for     |
|     State            | each public school    | public schools and    |
|     Accountability   | and LEA are made      | LEAs are not made     |
|     System make an   | annually.[^8]         | annually.             |
|     annual           |                       |                       |
|     determination of |                       |                       |
|     whether each     |                       |                       |
|     public school    |                       |                       |
|     and LEA in the   |                       |                       |
|     State made AYP?  |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AYP decisions for each public school and for each LEA are made        |
| annually in July as referenced in critical element 3.2. As noted in   |
| critical element 1.5, Delaware Code (Title 14, §§ 124, 124A) requires |
| that school and district profiles (report cards) be issued annually.  |
| They include information about accountability as well as assessment,  |
| discipline, and teacher qualification information. Delaware has been  |
| assigning accountability ratings to schools based on student          |
| assessment data since school year 2000-2001.                          |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline} Delaware Code, Title 14, §§§ 124, 124a, 154  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 5. All public schools and LEAs are held accountable for the
achievement of individual subgroups.**

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How does the    | Identifies subgroups  | State does not        |
|     definition of   | for defining adequate | disaggregate data by  |
|     adequate yearly | yearly progress:      | each required student |
|     progress        | economically          | subgroup.             |
|     include all the | disadvantaged, major  |                       |
|     required        | racial and ethnic     |                       |
|     student         | groups, students with |                       |
|     subgroups?      | disabilities, and     |                       |
|                     | students with limited |                       |
|                     | English proficiency.  |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | Provides definition   |                       |
|                     | and data source of    |                       |
|                     | subgroups for         |                       |
|                     | adequate yearly       |                       |
|                     | progress.             |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The definition of AYP includes all student subgroups required by      |
| federal law: major race/ethnic populations (white, Black, Hispanic,   |
| Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native), students with |
| disabilities, economically disadvantaged students and students with   |
| limited English proficiency. Sub-population data are aggregated from  |
| the student level state assessment system by individual student ID.   |
|                                                                       |
| Schools and districts submit student-level enrollment and demographic |
| data on an on-going basis (see 2.1). A description of the data        |
| requirements may be found at:                                         |
|                                                                       |
| <https://login.doe.k12.de.us/DELSIScode/codestartpage.ASP> and click  |
| on Data Elements.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| Dates by which the data collections are due can be found in the Data  |
| Acquisition Calendar found at:                                        |
| <http://www.doe.k12.de.us/files/pdf/dedoe_dataacqcal.pdf>             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  How are public  | Public schools and    | State does not        |
|     schools and     | LEAs are held         | include student       |
|     LEAs held       | accountable for       | subgroups in its      |
|     accountable for | student subgroup      | State Accountability  |
|     the progress of | achievement:          | System.               |
|     student         | economically          |                       |
|     subgroups in    | disadvantaged, major  |                       |
|     the             | ethnic and racial     |                       |
|     determination   | groups, students with |                       |
|     of adequate     | disabilities, and     |                       |
|     yearly          | limited English       |                       |
|     progress?       | proficient students.  |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware's accountability system holds each school and district       |
| accountable for meeting the state determined annual and/or            |
| intermediate goals by subgroup in both reading/language arts and math |
| in order to meet AYP. Students are considered members of the subgroup |
| provided that they meet the criteria for subgroup membership.         |
|                                                                       |
| Students with disabilities are defined as students with an Individual |
| Education Program (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities       |
| Education Act (IDEA).                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Limited English Proficient students will be included in the LEP       |
| subgroup until they score at the "Meets the Standard" level on the    |
| reading DSTP for two consecutive years. Two consecutive years of      |
| meeting the standard demonstrates that a student can read, write and  |
| understand the English language. Therefore, for accountability        |
| purposes, a student will be included in the LEP subgroup for two      |
| years after receiving LEP services since continuous monitoring of     |
| those students occurs during those two years.                         |
|                                                                       |
| Economically disadvantaged students are defined as students who are   |
| eligible for the free or reduced lunch meal plan.                     |
|                                                                       |
| The number of students in each subgroup will be the number of         |
| students who were instructionally served by the school and were in    |
| the school for a full academic year.                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.  How are         | All students with     | The State             |
|     students with   | disabilities          | Accountability System |
|     disabilities    | participate in        | or State policy       |
|     included in the | statewide             | excludes students     |
|     State's         | assessments: general  | with disabilities     |
|     definition of   | assessments with or   | from participating in |
|     adequate yearly | without               | the statewide         |
|     progress?       | accommodations or an  | assessments.          |
|                     | alternate assessment  |                       |
|                     | based on grade level  | State cannot          |
|                     | standards for the     | demonstrate that      |
|                     | grade in which        | alternate assessments |
|                     | students are          | measure grade-level   |
|                     | enrolled.             | standards for the     |
|                     |                       | grade in which        |
|                     | State demonstrates    | students are          |
|                     | that students with    | enrolled.             |
|                     | disabilities are      |                       |
|                     | fully included in the |                       |
|                     | State Accountability  |                       |
|                     | System.               |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # All students with disabilities participate in the Dela              |
| ware Student Testing Program (DSTP) with appropriate accommodations p |
| er their IEP. Included under the DSTP umbrella is an alternative asse |
| ssment, the Delaware Alternate Portfolio Assessment (DAPA), for stude |
| nts with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The accommodati |
| on codes and procedures for using accommodations for students with di |
| sabilities can be found in the Department of Education's *Guidelines  |
| for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Students with Lim |
| ited English Proficiency*. A Disabilities Task Force reviews data and |
|  makes recommendations about accommodations and inclusion of students |
|  with disabilities annually. A Technical Advisory Committee for the D |
| STP and one for the DAPA also review data and accommodations to provi |
| de national expertise on the inclusion of students with disabilities. |
|                                                                       |
| Per recent USED regulations, Delaware will include in AYP             |
| determinations the scores of students with the most significant       |
| cognitive disabilities on the DAPA with a cap of 1% compared to       |
| enrollment, with exceptions granted to districts by the state on a    |
| case-by-case basis and with an exception to be sought by the          |
| Department of Education from the USED if necessary.                   |
|                                                                       |
| Students with disabilities are also included in all accountability    |
| decisions. Regulation 103, § 2.1 provides specific mandates for       |
| schools and districts in the inclusion of students with disabilities. |
| Beginning in the school year 2003-2004, the "out-of-level"            |
| accommodation will not be used -- all students will participate in    |
| the grade level assessment according to their enrolled grade. All     |
| references to this accommodation will be taken out of the *Guidelines |
| for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Students with     |
| Limited English Proficiency.*                                         |
|                                                                       |
| # [References:]{.underline} Department of Education Regulation § 103  |
|                                                                       |
| Guidelines for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and        |
| Students with Limited English Proficiency                             |
|                                                                       |
| (link:                                                                |
| [http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/GFI%202007-2008%20GFI-04302             |
| 007.pdf](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/GFI 2007-2008 GFI-04302007.pdf) |
| )                                                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 4.  How are         | All LEP student       | LEP students are not  |
|     students with   | participate in        | fully included in the |
|     limited English | statewide             | State Accountability  |
|     proficiency     | assessments: general  | System.               |
|     included in the | assessments with or   |                       |
|     State's         | without               |                       |
|     definition of   | accommodations or a   |                       |
|     adequate yearly | native language       |                       |
|     progress?       | version of the        |                       |
|                     | general assessment    |                       |
|                     | based on grade level  |                       |
|                     | standards.            |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | State demonstrates    |                       |
|                     | that LEP students are |                       |
|                     | fully included in the |                       |
|                     | State Accountability  |                       |
|                     | System.               |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

**STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

# 

# All limited English proficiency students will participate in the statewide assessment program (DSTP). However, per recent USED guidance, those LEP students who have been enrolled in a U.S. school less than 1 year are not required to participate in the ELA assessment and will not be included in the percent proficient calculation for ELA and math (but will be included in participation rate). All LEP students are required to take the language proficiency assessments. Some LEP students participate with accommodations as appropriate including providing the test items in a content area in the native language or directions in the native language. The Department of Education\'s *Guidelines for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Students with Limited English Proficiency* provides the framework and procedures for accommodations. 

An English Language Learner is a student who:

• was either born in the United States or outside the United States and
whose

native language is a language other than English and comes from an

environment where a language other than English is dominant OR

• is a Native American, or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the
outlying areas

and comes from an environment where a language other than English has
had a

significant impact on such individual's level of English proficiency OR

• is migratory and whose native language is other than English and comes
from an

environment where a language other than English is dominant AND

• has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding
the English

Language, that may interfere with the student's opportunity to learn
successfully

in classrooms where the language of instruction is English, or to
participate fully

in society. Criteria for determining ELL status is below.

**Criteria for Identifying the ELL Student:**

The criteria for identifying an ELL student are as follows:

**Home language survey:**

The home language survey must be administered to all new students in the
Delaware schools. Each district has a question on their student
enrollment form asking if another language other than English is spoken
in the home or by the student. If the answer is "yes," the student may
be an ELL. The next step is to test the student using the English
proficiency test, ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in
English State to State) test of English language proficiency.

**ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in**

**English State to State):**

The ACCESS test (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) is
administered to students identified using the Home Language Survey.

ACCESS performance levels are as follows:

Level 1---Entering

Level 2---Beginning

Level 3---Developing

Level 4---Expanding

Level 5---Bridging

[References:]{.underline} Department of Education Regulation § 103

Guidelines for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Students
with Limited English Proficiency

(link:
[http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/GFI%202007-2008%20GFI-04302007.pdf](http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/GFI 2007-2008 GFI-04302007.pdf)
)

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 5.  What is the     | State defines the     | State does not define |
|     State's         | number of students    | the required number   |
|     definition of   | required in a         | of students in a      |
|     the minimum     | subgroup for          | subgroup for          |
|     number of       | reporting and         | reporting and         |
|     students in a   | accountability        | accountability        |
|     subgroup        | purposes, and applies | purposes.             |
|     required for    | this definition       |                       |
|     reporting       | consistently across   | Definition is not     |
|     purposes? For   | the State.[^9]        | applied consistently  |
|     accountability  |                       | across the State.     |
|     purposes?       | Definition of         |                       |
|                     | subgroup will result  | Definition does not   |
|                     | in data that are      | result in data that   |
|                     | statistically         | are statistically     |
|                     | reliable.             | reliable.             |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| By regulation, the minimum number of students required in a subgroup  |
| for **reporting** purposes has been and will continue to be 15        |
| students in a subgroup. This definition is applied to all public      |
| schools and districts across the state, including charter schools.    |
|                                                                       |
| The initial analysis done by the Department of Education indicates    |
| that forty (40) should be the minimum number of students required in  |
| a subgroup for **accountability** purposes. In the continued review   |
| of data this is the point at which subgroup data becomes more stable  |
| and reliable.                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline} Department of Education Regulation, §103     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 6.  How does the    | Definition does not   | Definition reveals    |
|     State           | reveal personally     | personally            |
|     Accountability  | identifiable          | identifiable          |
|     System protect  | information.[^10]     | information.          |
|     the privacy of  |                       |                       |
|     students when   |                       |                       |
|     reporting       |                       |                       |
|     results and     |                       |                       |
|     when            |                       |                       |
|     determining     |                       |                       |
|     AYP?            |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| All reporting of accountability and AYP results is provided online    |
| through two separate systems: public access and restricted access.    |
| The public access site only provides school, district and state data  |
| for subgroups with the number of students equal to or greater than    |
| 15. The restricted access site does provide student identifiable      |
| information but is only accessible by password with appropriate       |
| security clearances and assurances. Passwords are only established    |
| for state, district, school administrators and teachers upon written  |
| supervisor approval. Teachers have access to students in the school   |
| for whom they have instructional contact. Building level              |
| administrators have access to building level data only. District      |
| administrators have access to school level data within their district |
| and district level data as appropriate.                               |
|                                                                       |
| Student information sent or retrieved through DELSIS is secure.       |
| Student confidentiality is protected by both Delaware Code and        |
| Department of Education Regulation.                                   |
|                                                                       |
| As percentages move closer to 100% proficient, Delaware intends to    |
| adopt regulation that provide for percentages close to 100% be        |
| reported as \>95% and percentages close to 0% to be reported as \<5%. |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline} Department of Education Regulation § 250     |
|                                                                       |
| <http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/>                              |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware Code, Title 14, § 4111                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 6. State definition of AYP is based primarily on the State's
academic assessments.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | ## EXAMPLES FOR       | ## EXAMPLES OF        |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How is the       | Formula for AYP shows | Formula for AYP shows |
|     State's          | that decisions are    | that decisions are    |
|     definition of    | based primarily on    | based primarily on    |
|     adequate yearly  | assessments.[^11]     | non-academic          |
|     progress based   |                       | indicators or         |
|     primarily on     | Plan clearly          | indicators other than |
|     academic         | identifies which      | the State             |
|     assessments?     | assessments are       | assessments.          |
|                      | included in           |                       |
|                      | accountability.       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Delaware Code mandates a statewide assessment system that includes
student assessments in the core content areas of reading/language arts,
math, science and social studies. The assessments measure individual
student progress on meeting state content standards in those four areas.
Further, Delaware Code mandates the use of these assessments in a single
statewide accountability system for determining AYP. All students
participate in the DSTP unless they meet the criteria for participation
in the Delaware Alternate Portfolio Assessment as described below. This
information is also available in the Department of Education\'s
*Guidelines for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Students
with Limited English Proficiency.*

**Participation in the Delaware**

**Alternate Portfolio Assessment (DAPA)**

Under testing condition 4, students may be included in DAPA. The
student's IEP team

must evaluate the possible inclusion of the student in each of the five
parts of the DSTP:

reading, writing, mathematics, science, and/or social studies.

**Participation**

To include the student in the DAPA, the student's IEP team must complete
all of the following steps. If it is determined that there is sufficient
information to support ALL of the criteria below, the IEP team should
document this decision on the student's current IEP and sign the
*Participation Guidelines* (see Appendix F). Students who do not meet
all of the criteria will participate in the DSTP, with or without
accommodations. The achievement of students in the DAPA is based on
alternate achievement standards. Alternate achievement standards allow
the use of a different scoring system. Students who participate in the
DAPA are working on the same academic standards as their peers; however,
they are working on these standards in less complex ways. The signed
*Participation Guidelines* must be submitted with the DAPA on the

designated due date.

**Documentation**

The IEP team must clearly document in the student's IEP the basis for
its decision.

School staff must support the inclusion decision by using current and
longitudinal data,

such as:

• performance data across multiple settings in the areas of academics,

communication, cognition, social competence, recreation or leisure,
domestic

community living, and vocational skills.

• behavioral observations in multiple settings.

• adaptive behavior.

• continuous assessment of progress on IEP goals and objectives.

Such documentation will verify that the student meets the criteria
listed below.

**Criteria**

The following are the participation guidelines for inclusion in the
Delaware Alternate

Portfolio Assessment (DAPA). The student's record must have sufficient
data to support

all of the following:

**Criterion #1: Evidence of Significant Cognitive Disabilities**

Student's levels of cognitive skills and adaptive behavior are such that
extensive

modifications are required in order to access the general curriculum.

**Criterion #2: Intensity of Instruction**

Student requires extensive direct instruction and/or extensive supports
to accomplish

the application and transfer of skills to school, home, work, and
community

environments.

**Criterion #3: Curricular Outcomes**

The student requires extensively modified instruction focusing on a less
complex

application of skills in order to access the Delaware Content Standards.

**Criterion #4: Exclusions**

The decision to include the student in the DAPA is NOT based on the
following:

1\. existence of an IEP;

2\. specific categorical label;

3\. educational placement;

4\. English language learner status;

5\. socio-economic or cultural differences;

6\. excessive or extended absences;

7\. disruptive behavior;

8\. student's reading level; or

9\. the expectation that the student will not perform well on the DSTP.

Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, AYP decisions in
reading/language arts will be based on the DSTP reading and writing
combined assessments at grades 3 through 8 and 10. Math will be based
the same as reading/language arts -- DSTP math assessments for grades 3
through 8 and 10. The other indicators for elementary and middle schools
will be determined by how well a school improves the performance of its
lower achieving students in reading and math (i.e., students who are
scoring below meets the standard, Performance Level 3) as further
defined in 7.2.

All assessments included in the DSTP have been determined by a group of
national experts to be valid and reliable. Delaware also has been
through a peer review for standards and assessments and we were deemed
to be in full compliance with the 1994 ESEA. Delaware is also an Ed Flex
state per the requirements in the 1994 ESEA.

[References:]{.underline} Delaware Code, Title 14, § 151

<http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/Report_and_documents/Technical_Reports.shtml>

<http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/Report_and_documents/Special_Populations.shtml>

PRINCIPLE 7. State definition of AYP includes graduation rates for
public High schools and an additional indicator selected by the State
for public Middle and public Elementary schools (such as attendance
rates).

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the     | State definition of   | State definition of   |
|     State           | graduation rate:      | public high school    |
|     definition for  |                       | graduation rate does  |
|     the public high | -   Calculates the    | not meet these        |
|     school          |     percentage of     | criteria.             |
|     graduation      |     students,         |                       |
|     rate?           |     measured from the |                       |
|                     |     beginning of the  |                       |
|                     |     school year, who  |                       |
|                     |     graduate from     |                       |
|                     |     public high       |                       |
|                     |     school with a     |                       |
|                     |     regular diploma   |                       |
|                     |     (not including a  |                       |
|                     |     GED or any other  |                       |
|                     |     diploma not fully |                       |
|                     |     aligned with the  |                       |
|                     |     state's academic  |                       |
|                     |     standards) in the |                       |
|                     |     standard number   |                       |
|                     |     of years; or,     |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | -   Uses another more |                       |
|                     |     accurate          |                       |
|                     |     definition that   |                       |
|                     |     has been approved |                       |
|                     |     by the Secretary; |                       |
|                     |     and               |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | -   Must avoid        |                       |
|                     |     counting a        |                       |
|                     |     dropout as a      |                       |
|                     |     transfer.         |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | Graduation rate is    |                       |
|                     | included (in the      |                       |
|                     | aggregate) for AYP,   |                       |
|                     | and disaggregated (as |                       |
|                     | necessary) for use    |                       |
|                     | when applying the     |                       |
|                     | exception clause[^12] |                       |
|                     | to make AYP.          |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The graduation rate is the number of students in one cohort who       |
| started in the school/district in 9^th^ grade and graduated 4 years   |
| later with a regular diploma or in the timeframe specified by the IEP |
| divided by the same number plus those who have dropped out during the |
| 4 year period. Students earning a GED certificate will not be counted |
| as graduates but will be included in the denominator for calculation  |
| of graduation rate.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware has individual student data from DELSIS and graduation/exit  |
| data; thus can calculate the graduation rate by disaggregated         |
| subgroup. In fact, the graduation rate has been reported by school,   |
| district, and state in school and district report cards since the     |
| late 1990's.                                                          |
|                                                                       |
| The target for this indicator for high schools will be a graduation   |
| rate of 90% by the school year 2013-2014 with intermediate targets as |
| illustrated in the table below. Beginning in 2003, when compared to   |
| the previous year, each school, or subgroup if used in safe harbor,   |
| will be expected to maintain its graduation rate or show positive     |
| progress when compared to the previous year towards the state target  |
| for that time period or meet/exceed the state target for that school  |
| year. A school that does not maintain its graduation rate, show       |
| positive progress from the previous year towards the state target, or |
| meet the state graduation target will be considered as not meeting    |
| AYP for that year.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| For district accountability, a district will also be expected to      |
| maintain its graduation rate or show positive progress when compared  |
| to the previous year towards the state target or meet/exceed the      |
| state target for that school year AND a district will also be         |
| expected to meet the other academic indicator target for              |
| elementary/middle schools as defined in 7.2.                          |
|                                                                       |
| State accountability will be the same as described in district in the |
| paragraph above.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
|   ----------------------------- ------------------------------------  |
|   School Year                   Graduation Target                     |
|                                                                       |
|   2003-04                       75%                                   |
|                                                                       |
|   2004-05                       76.5%                                 |
|                                                                       |
|   2005-06                       78%                                   |
|                                                                       |
|   2006-07                       79.5%                                 |
|                                                                       |
|   2007-08                       81%                                   |
|                                                                       |
|   2008-09                       82.5%                                 |
|                                                                       |
|   2009-10                       84%                                   |
|                                                                       |
|   2010-11                       85.5%                                 |
|                                                                       |
|   2011-12                       87%                                   |
|                                                                       |
|   2012-13                       88.5%                                 |
|                                                                       |
|   2013-14                       90%                                   |
|   ----------------------------- ------------------------------------  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the     | State defines the     | State has not defined |
|     State's         | additional academic   | an additional         |
|     additional      | indicators, e.g.,     | academic indicator    |
|     academic        | additional State or   | for elementary and    |
|     indicator for   | locally administered  | middle schools.       |
|     public          | assessments not       |                       |
|     elementary      | included in the State |                       |
|     schools for the | assessment system,    |                       |
|     definition of   | grade-to-grade        |                       |
|     AYP? For public | retention rates or    |                       |
|     middle schools  | attendance            |                       |
|     for the         | rates.[^13]           |                       |
|     definition of   |                       |                       |
|     AYP?            | An additional         |                       |
|                     | academic indicator is |                       |
|                     | included (in the      |                       |
|                     | aggregate) for AYP,   |                       |
|                     | and disaggregated (as |                       |
|                     | necessary) for use    |                       |
|                     | when applying the     |                       |
|                     | exception clause to   |                       |
|                     | make AYP.             |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| For elementary and middle schools, the additional academic indicator  |
| will be determined by how well a school improves the performance of   |
| its lower achieving students in reading and math combined (i.e.,      |
| students who are scoring below "meets the standard", Performance      |
| Level 3, in reading and math). The average scale score for the        |
| students who score at performance levels 1 and 2 in reading and math  |
| will be determined for the current year and the previous. Scores from |
| the current year will be compared to the previous year to determine   |
| if the school has shown progress with the lowest achieving students.  |
| A confidence interval will be applied to the current year average     |
| scale score. Students included in this calculation have to have been  |
| in the school or district for the full academic year. Beginning in    |
| 2005-06, scale scores in reading and math for students in grades 3    |
| through 8 will be used for the elementary/middle school other         |
| academic indicator.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| To show progress, a school or district must maintain or show an       |
| increase in the average scale score from one year to the next OR show |
| that the percent of students in performance level 1 in reading or     |
| math has decreased from one year to the next or is below an absolute  |
| level to be set by the state. The state target for this other         |
| academic indicator for 2013-14 is 0% of the students scoring at       |
| performance level 1.                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| For district accountability, a district will also be expected to      |
| maintain its graduation rate, show positive progress when compared to |
| the previous year towards the state target, or meet the state target  |
| AND a district will also be expected to maintain or show progress on  |
| the elementary/middle other academic indicator as described above.    |
|                                                                       |
| State accountability will be the same as described in district in the |
| paragraph above.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline}                                              |
| <http://www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/aab/default.shtml>                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  Are the State's | State has defined     | State has an academic |
|     academic        | academic indicators   | indicator that is not |
|     indicators      | that are valid and    | valid and reliable.   |
|     valid and       | reliable.             |                       |
|     reliable?       |                       | State has an academic |
|                     | State has defined     | indicator that is not |
|                     | academic indicators   | consistent with       |
|                     | that are consistent   | nationally recognized |
|                     | with nationally       | standards.            |
|                     | recognized standards, |                       |
|                     | if any.               | State has an academic |
|                     |                       | indicator that is not |
|                     |                       | consistent within     |
|                     |                       | grade levels.         |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Since the DSTP is the foundation for the other academic indicator for |
| elementary/middle schools, this academic indicator is valid and       |
| reliable (see DSTP Technical Report).                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware's graduation rate is described in 7.1 and excludes students  |
| who earn GED certificates. The student information system (DELSIS)    |
| with weekly updates will make the calculation valid and reliable.     |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline} DSTP Technical Report for 2001, 2002 and     |
| 2003.                                                                 |
| <http://www.doe                                                       |
| .k12.de.us/programs/aab/Report_and_documents/Technical_Reports.shtml> |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 8. AYP is based on reading/language arts and mathematics
achievement objectives.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  Does the state   | State AYP             | State AYP             |
|     measure          | determination for     | determination for     |
|     achievement in   | student subgroups,    | student subgroups,    |
|     reading/language | public schools and    | public schools and    |
|     arts and         | LEAs separately       | LEAs averages or      |
|     mathematics      | measures              | combines achievement  |
|     separately for   | reading/language arts | across                |
|     determining AYP? | and mathematics.      | reading/language arts |
|                      | [^14]                 | and mathematics.      |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | AYP is a separate     |                       |
|                      | calculation for       |                       |
|                      | reading/language arts |                       |
|                      | and mathematics for   |                       |
|                      | each group, public    |                       |
|                      | school, and LEA.      |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Reading/language arts and math, as well as science and social         |
| studies, are measured separately against the state content standards  |
| in each of the areas. The determination for accountability (including |
| AYP) will be based on the DSTP assessments that are given annually.   |
| The reading/language arts accountability score will be based on a     |
| combination of the reading and writing assessments. The reading       |
| percent proficient scores will be weighted to count 90% and writing   |
| percent proficient scores weighted to count 10%.                      |
|                                                                       |
| For example:                                                          |
|                                                                       |
| School A 45% meet/exceed standards in reading, 50% meet/exceed        |
| standards in writing                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| (.9 \* .45)+(.1 \* .50) = 45.5% proficient in reading/language arts   |
|                                                                       |
| Again, data are collected on an individual student basis, including   |
| assessment scores by content area; therefore, separate calculations   |
| for reading/language arts, math and by subgroups are easily           |
| incorporated into the accountability system.                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 9. State Accountability System is statistically valid and
reliable.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How do AYP       | State has defined a   | State does not have   |
|     determinations   | method for            | an acceptable method  |
|     meet the State's | determining an        | for determining       |
|     standard for     | acceptable level of   | reliability (decision |
|     acceptable       | reliability (decision | consistency) of       |
|     reliability?     | consistency) for AYP  | accountability        |
|                      | decisions.            | decisions, e.g., it   |
|                      |                       | reports only          |
|                      | State provides        | reliability           |
|                      | evidence that         | coefficients for its  |
|                      | decision consistency  | assessments.          |
|                      | is (1) within the     |                       |
|                      | range deemed          | State has parameters  |
|                      | acceptable to the     | for acceptable        |
|                      | State, and (2) meets  | reliability; however, |
|                      | professional          | the actual            |
|                      | standards and         | reliability (decision |
|                      | practice.             | consistency) falls    |
|                      |                       | outside those         |
|                      | State publicly        | parameters.           |
|                      | reports the estimate  |                       |
|                      | of decision           | State's evidence      |
|                      | consistency, and      | regarding             |
|                      | incorporates it       | accountability        |
|                      | appropriately into    | reliability (decision |
|                      | accountability        | consistency) is not   |
|                      | decisions.            | updated.              |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | State updates         |                       |
|                      | analysis and          |                       |
|                      | reporting of decision |                       |
|                      | consistency at        |                       |
|                      | appropriate           |                       |
|                      | intervals.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware has created quality control and other measures to ensure     |
| reliability at every step of the process. At the assessment level,    |
| the DSTP meets requirements for acceptable reliability as reported in |
| the Technical Report for the DSTP. The electronic scoring file from   |
| the testing vendor goes through an extensive quality control process  |
| by Delaware experts to ensure such things as the use of the correct   |
| equating table or interpolated norms. Upon release of the data to the |
| schools and districts, school staff reviews the individual student    |
| results and Delaware has a process for re-scoring test documents if   |
| school staff or parents believe there may be an error. Delaware has   |
| also built in a control process for hand scored items. While most     |
| hand scored items are scored by a single trained scorer, 10% of the   |
| items are scored by two scorers to increase reliability. Also, if any |
| item score is off by 2 points or more, a third scorer is utilized. As |
| scorers work scoring student responses, student responses from the    |
| field test have been inserted randomly into the set. The purpose of   |
| this is to minimize scorer drift. Since the field test responses have |
| been previously scored, the scorer must re-score the item and match   |
| identically the previous score points issued. This helps to ensure    |
| reliability in scoring.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| In the process for hand scoring, Delaware teachers participate in     |
| selecting actual student work from the field test to identify student |
| responses for training sets, calibration sets and anchor papers. The  |
| anchor papers are used in the actual scoring process and there is a   |
| full range for each score point including high, mid, and low.         |
|                                                                       |
| As shown above, Delaware attempts to reduce the possibility of errors |
| step-by-step. All public schools and districts give the same tests at |
| the same time under the same conditions. There is extensive training  |
| provided by state assessment staff for all school and district        |
| coordinators. Training videos to ensure uniform test administration   |
| are produced annually by the state and distributed to all schools for |
| use with proctors. The state also has a process for investigating     |
| possible test security breaches and conditions, which could result in |
| invalid results. Proctors are required to abide by and sign           |
| assurances that the appropriate procedures were actually followed.    |
|                                                                       |
| References: Contract with vendor                                      |
|                                                                       |
| District and School Building Coordinator Manuals                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  What is the      | State has established | State does not have a |
|     State\'s process | a process for public  | system for handling   |
|     for making valid | schools and LEAs to   | appeals of            |
|     AYP              | appeal an             | accountability        |
|     determinations?  | accountability        | decisions.            |
|                      | decision.             |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware has a process for schools and districts to appeal an         |
| accountability decision that has been established through regulation. |
| The Department of Education's Regulation § 103 provides schools and   |
| districts the right to present clear and convincing evidence that the |
| school or district has been misclassified through the accountability  |
| process.                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| [Reference:]{.underline} Department of Education Regulation § 103     |
| section 6.0                                                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF *NOT*   |
|                      | MEETING               | MEETING               |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.  How has the      | State has a plan to   | State's transition    |
|     State planned    | maintain continuity   | plan interrupts       |
|     for              | in AYP decisions      | annual determination  |
|     incorporating    | necessary for         | of AYP.               |
|     into its         | validity through      |                       |
|     definition of    | planned assessment    | State does not have a |
|     AYP anticipated  | changes, and other    | plan for handling     |
|     changes in       | changes necessary to  | changes: e.g., to its |
|     assessments?     | comply fully with     | assessment system, or |
|                      | NCLB.[^15]            | the addition of new   |
|                      |                       | public schools.       |
|                      | State has a plan for  |                       |
|                      | including new public  |                       |
|                      | schools in the State  |                       |
|                      | Accountability        |                       |
|                      | System.               |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | State has a plan for  |                       |
|                      | periodically          |                       |
|                      | reviewing its State   |                       |
|                      | Accountability        |                       |
|                      | System, so that       |                       |
|                      | unforeseen changes    |                       |
|                      | can be quickly        |                       |
|                      | addressed.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware will adjust our definition of AYP so that we incorporate     |
| data from any new tests, should they be deemed necessary, while       |
| maintaining the timeline for all students to reach proficiency by     |
| 2014.                                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| The reading/language arts and math DSTP assessments at grades 4, 6    |
| and 7 are included in the AYP decisions in 2006. Students in grades 4 |
| through 8 will not have to be tracked back to the school of           |
| instruction for the grade cluster since all grades will be tested     |
| against grade level expectations. Five levels of performance have     |
| been established for grades 3 through 10.                             |
|                                                                       |
| For new schools, the first full year school year following the        |
| school's opening would be their first year of accountability          |
| determinations. The percent proficient by reading/language arts and   |
| math will be calculated for the overall school and each subgroup      |
| provided there are a sufficient number of students in the subgroup.   |
| The school will be required to meet the annual statewide goals in     |
| reading/language arts and math at the point in time when the school   |
| opened.                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware has a Technical Advisory Committee that has national         |
| expertise in the technical and instructional issues of student        |
| assessment. The committee meets twice a year to review and provide    |
| advice on technical and instructional issues relating to the DSTP.    |
| This provides a mechanism to deal with potential and emerging issues  |
| extending beyond reliability and validity.                            |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware also has established Bias Review Committees to review        |
| potential items for any bias prior to field testing the item. Again,  |
| national experts, especially in the areas of working with students    |
| with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency,      |
| provide advice and professional development to the reviewers and the  |
| Department of Education.                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 10. In order for a public school or LEA to make AYP, the
State ensures that it assessed at least 95% of the students enrolled in
each subgroup.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF\        |
|                      | MEETING               | *NOT* MEETING         |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the      | State has a procedure | The state does not    |
|     State\'s method  | to determine the      | have a procedure for  |
|     for calculating  | number of absent or   | determining the rate  |
|     participation    | untested students (by | of students           |
|     rates in the     | subgroup and          | participating in      |
|     State            | aggregate).           | statewide             |
|     assessments for  |                       | assessments.          |
|     use in AYP       | State has a procedure |                       |
|     determinations?  | to determine the      | Public schools and    |
|                      | denominator (total    | LEAs are not held     |
|                      | enrollment) for the   | accountable for       |
|                      | 95% calculation (by   | testing at least 95%  |
|                      | subgroup and          | of their students.    |
|                      | aggregate).           |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | Public schools and    |                       |
|                      | LEAs are held         |                       |
|                      | accountable for       |                       |
|                      | reaching the 95%      |                       |
|                      | assessed goal.        |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Delaware has had a process for determining and reporting              |
| participation rates for schools, districts and the state on the DSTP  |
| for the past four years. The statewide pupil accounting system, the   |
| student ID system (DELSIS) and the assessment databases provide the   |
| necessary information for calculating the participation rates for     |
| each school, district and subgroup. Department Regulation § 101       |
| requires that all students be assessed by the DSTP or participate in  |
| the alternate assessment (DAPA).                                      |
|                                                                       |
| The content area participation rate is the number of students scoring |
| at performance levels 1 through 5 divided by the number of students   |
| enrolled in the school during the testing period. Using the pupil     |
| accounting database, the students enrolled during the testing period  |
| will be matched by ID to the assessment database to determine the     |
| number of students scoring at performance levels 1 through 5. This    |
| will serve as the numerator for participation rate. Participation     |
| rates by subgroup will only be populated for accountability purposes  |
| for those subgroups with at least 40 students in the group. They will |
| be reported for subgroups with at least 15 students in the group.     |
|                                                                       |
| Delaware intends to make use of the new USED guidance and flexibility |
| for participation rate. Delaware may average participation data over  |
| 2 years where appropriate.                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF\        |
|                      | MEETING               | *NOT* MEETING         |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  What is the      | State has a policy    | State does not have a |
|     State\'s policy  | that implements the   | procedure for making  |
|     for determining  | regulation regarding  | this determination.   |
|     when the 95%     | the use of 95%        |                       |
|     assessed         | allowance when the    |                       |
|     requirement      | group is              |                       |
|     should be        | statistically         |                       |
|     applied?         | significant according |                       |
|                      | to State rules.       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Current state law, Delaware Code, Title 14 §151 requires that all     |
| students participate in the DSTP or appropriate alternate assessment  |
| (DAPA). Department of Education Regulation § 101 section 1.1 also     |
| requires that schools and districts assess all students enrolled in   |
| that school during the test period. Student scores are assigned by    |
| student ID and are tracked by the pupil accounting system to the      |
| school where they are tested unless there is a situation as described |
| in 14 DE Admin Code 103 sections 3.1 or3.2                            |
|                                                                       |
| However, for accountability purposes, the participation rate will be  |
| calculated by performing the following: the number of students with   |
| performance level 1 through 5 from the current testing period divided |
| by the number of students enrolled in the tested grades during the    |
| testing period.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| [References:]{.underline} Delaware Code, Title 14 §§ 151, 154         |
|                                                                       |
| Department of Education Regulation §101 and 103                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

# Appendix A

Required Data Elements for State Report Card

**1111(h)(1)(C)**

1\. Information, in the aggregate, on student achievement at each
proficiency level on the State academic assessments (disaggregated by
race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English
proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged, except that such
disaggregation shall not be required in a case in which the number of
students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable
information or the results would reveal personally identifiable
information about an individual student.

2\. Information that provides a comparison between the actual
achievement levels of each student subgroup and the State's annual
measurable objectives for each such group of students on each of the
academic assessments.

3\. The percentage of students not tested (disaggregated by the student
subgroups), except that such disaggregation shall not be required in a
case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to
yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal
personally identifiable information about an individual student.

4\. The most recent 2-year trend in student achievement in each subject
area, and for each grade level, for the required assessments.

5\. Aggregate information on any other indicators used by the State to
determine the adequate yearly progress of students in achieving State
academic achievement standards disaggregated by student subgroups.

6\. Graduation rates for secondary school students disaggregated by
student subgroups.

7\. Information on the performance of local educational agencies in the
State regarding making adequate yearly progress, including the number
and names of each school identified for school improvement under section
1116.

8\. The professional qualifications of teachers in the State, the
percentage of such teachers teaching with emergency or provisional
credentials, and the percentage of classes in the State not taught by
highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and disaggregated by
high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools which (for this purpose)
means schools in the top quartile of poverty and the bottom quartile of
poverty in the State.

[^1]: NCLB consequences apply to schools that have not met AYP for two
    or more consecutive years in the same subject area.

[^2]: System of State achievement standards will be reviewed by the
    Standards and Assessments Peer Review. The Accountability Peer
    Review will determine that achievement levels are used in
    determining AYP.

[^3]: The state must provide rewards and sanctions for all public
    schools and LEAs for making adequate yearly progress, except that
    the State is not required to hold schools and LEAs not receiving
    Title I funds to the requirements of section 1116 of NCLB
    \[§200.12(b)(40)\].

[^4]: Consequences in bold type are required by NCLB (for Title I
    schools)

[^5]: Consequences apply to all schools that have not met AYP for two or
    more consecutive years in the same subject area or other indicators.

[^6]: Consequences in bold type are required by NCLB. NCLB requires a
    district improvement plan only after two consecutive years in need
    of improvement.

[^7]: If the state has separate assessments to cover its language arts
    standards (e.g., reading and writing), the State must create a
    method to include scores from all the relevant assessments.

[^8]: Decisions may be based upon several years of data and data may be
    averaged across grades within a public school \[§1111(b)(2)(J)\].

[^9]: The minimum number is not required to be the same for reporting
    and accountability.

[^10]: The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits an
    LEA that receives Federal funds from releasing, without the prior
    written consent of a student's parents, any personally identifiable
    information contained in a student's education record.

[^11]: State Assessment System will be reviewed by the Standards and
    Assessments Peer Review Team.

[^12]: See USC 6311(b)(2)(I)(i), and 34 C.F.R. 200.20(b)

[^13]: NCLB only lists these indicators as examples.

[^14]: If the state has more than one assessment to cover its language
    arts standards, the State must create a method for including scores
    from all the relevant assessments.

[^15]: Several events may occur which necessitate such a plan. For
    example, (1) the State may need to include additional assessments in
    grades 3-8 by 2005-2006; (2) the State may revise content and/or
    academic achievement standards; (3) the State may need to
    recalculate the starting point with the addition of new assessments;
    or (4) the State may need to incorporate the graduation rate or
    other indicators into its State Accountability System. These events
    may require new calculations of validity and reliability.