Changes made to the 2008 base API

From the desk of the California Department of Education:

This letter is to inform you of action taken at the January 7, 2009, State Board of Education (SBE) meeting concerning changes to the methodology for calculating the 2008 Base Academic Performance Index (API) which is tentatively scheduled for release on April 29, 2009. The SBE adopted the following changes to the 2008 Base API:

• Eliminate 2008 California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey) results for grades three and seven.
  
  
• Include 2008 California Modified Assessment (CMA) results from grades three through five.
  
  
• Adjust the 2008 Base API for local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools that administer the CMA in grades six through eight in 2009.

Eliminate the CAT/6 Survey Results from the 2008 Base API

The funding for the CAT/6 Survey was eliminated in the 2008-09 Budget Bill. The statutory requirement for a norm-referenced test (NRT) was eliminated through the trailer bill (Assembly Bill 519, Chapter 757). As a result, in the spring of 2009, LEAs and schools will no longer administer an NRT to students in grades three and seven. Therefore, 2008 CAT/6 Survey results must be excluded from calculation of the 2008 Base API in order to ensure comparability between the 2008 Base API and the 2009 Growth API.

Include 2008 CMA Results in the 2008 Base API

In November 2008, the SBE approved performance levels for the CMA in grades three through five. This action was a prerequisite for the incorporation of the results of the 2008 CMA into the API. The CMA is an assessment of California content standards based on modified achievement standards and was developed in response to federal regulations. The CMA is offered to some students with disabilities (SWD) in accord with their individualized education programs (IEPs). The CMA was first administered in 2008, but only to SWD in grades three through five. Detailed CMA participation criteria are available on the CDE CMA Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/cmastar.asp.

Adjust the 2008 Base API for the CMA in 2009 (Grades Six through Eight)

In the spring of 2009, the CMA will be expanded to include grades six through eight in English-language arts (ELA), grades six and seven in mathematics, as well as grade eight in science. It is anticipated that the SBE will establish CMA performance levels for grades six through eight in November 2009. Therefore, CMA results for grades six through eight will not be included in the 2009 Growth API that will be released in the fall of 2009.

As a result, an adjustment to the 2008 Base API will be made for LEAs and schools that will administer the CMA in grades six through eight in the spring of 2009. This process will be comparable to what occurred when the 2007 Base API was adjusted for the introduction of the CMA in grades three through five.

The upcoming adjustment will account for the difference in CMA assessments offered in 2008 and 2009, enhancing the comparability between the 2008 Base API and the 2009 Growth API. The adjustment will be limited to LEAs and schools that actually plan to offer the CMA to students in grades six through eight in the spring of 2009.

Overview of Adjustment Procedures

The CDE will adjust the 2008 Base API by removing records of some SWD in grades six through eight from the calculation. The intent is to eliminate from consideration, insofar as possible, the 2008 test results of students in grades six through eight who would have taken the CMA in 2008 had it been available to them. The CDE will use the number of CMA booklets ordered from Educational Testing Service (ETS) for grades six through eight in 2009 to determine the maximum number of student test records for exclusion from the 2008 Base API. Detailed information about the CMA Adjustment Procedure can be found in the 2007-08 Academic Performance Index Reports Information Guide located on the CDE API Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/api/.

If LEAs wish to revise their estimate of the number of 2009 CMA test takers for grades six through eight after they have placed their CMA orders, the CDE will offer access to an on-line system beginning on February 23, 2009. The system is similar to what was offered to LEAs in 2008, except that this year you can input the estimated number of CMA test takers by grade and content area.

Tentative Timeline for 2008 Base API Activities

The key dates for the CMA adjustment process and the release of the 2008 Base API are:

• February 17, 2009 -- Letter to LEAs explaining how to access the on-line CMA system to revise CMA estimates
  
  
• February 23, 2009 -- Access to on-line CMA system begins
  
  
• March 17, 2009 -- Access to on-line CMA system ends
  
  
• April 23, 2009 -- 2008 Base API released to LEAs for review
  
  
• April 29, 2009 -- 2008 Base API released to public