NCLB Recommendations #1 and #2

SUBJECT
N-size for Schools and School Districts

P.L. 107-110 PROVISIONS
TITLE I PART A SUBPART 1 SEC. 1111(b)(2)(C)(v); SEC. 1111(b)(2)(I)(ii); SEC. 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii); SEC. 1111(h)(1)(C)(i)
TITLE I PART D SUBPART 3 SEC. 1431(b)

NSBA RECOMMENDATIONS
# 1: School districts should be able to have a larger N-size than schools when determining the minimum number of students a subgroup must have to be counted for AYP.

#2: The N-size for a subgroup within a school may be increased to a number or percentage of that school’s total school enrollment to better align with schools with large enrollments, when determining the minimum number of students a subgroup must have to be counted for AYP.

RATIONALE
N-size is a statistical concept for determining the number of test takers needed to produce a reliable test score. School districts need a larger N-size than that of an individual school because they are considerably larger. In particular, large school districts are negatively impacted by the N-size designated for an individual school. If large school districts are to be identified as in need of improvement and subject to sanctions, a larger N-size should apply – subject to the approval of the state. In addition, the number of students within a specific subgroup may vary, so schools with large enrollments should be able to have a larger N-size that is proportional to the student population within the school.

PROPOSED BILL LANGUAGE
The following provisions are each amended by inserting after “reliable information” the following: “(the ‘number’ required to be ‘insufficient’ being greater, at the option of the State, for a local education agency than for a school, and varying, at the option of the State, from agency to agency and school to school in proportion to total enrollment)”:
In section 1111 (20 U.S.C. 6311) –
Subsection (b)(2)(C)(v), in the matter after subclause (II)(dd);
Subsection (b)(2)(I)(ii);
Subsection (b)(3)(C)(xiii); and
Subsection (h)(1)(C)(i).
Section 1431(b) (20 U.S.C.6471(b)).

IMPACT OF CURRENT LAW
School Districts are identified as in need of improvement and face escalating sanctions based on the same N-size as that of a school’s. The number of students in a school district is considerably larger than that of a school. For example, a school with 1,000 students and a school district of 25,000 can face sanctions based on the performance of 30 students if the N-size is set at 30. This current policy causes large, diverse school districts to miss AYP even if the group not making AYP constitutes only a small portion of the total enrollment in the district. Overtime these school districts can face serious consequences such as state or private management company takeover.

Similarly, schools are identified as in need of improvement and face escalating sanctions based on the same N-size regardless of their student populations. When the same N-size is applied to all schools, a large school with 2,000 students is more likely to meet an N-size of 30 for their subgroups than a small school of 200 students. The U.S. Department of Education has recognized the issue of school sizes by allowing several states to have a “sliding scale” N-size in proportion to each school’s enrollment. This practice should be available to all states because school and subgroup populations can vary significantly within a state.

NSBA CONTACT
Reggie Felton, director of federal relations, 703-838-6782 or rfelton@nsba.org.