Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP):
AYP is a series of performance goals that every school, school district, and the state as a whole
must achieve within time frames specified by law in order to meet the 100% proficiency goal of
the federal No Child Left Behind Act. AYP applies to all public schools, including Title I and
non-Title I schools. Non-Title I schools must meet AYP for No Child Left Behind, but they are
not subject to the rewards and sanctions under Title I.

To meet AYP, each school and district must meet the following criteria:

• 95% Participation: Students as a whole and each student subgroups above 20 students
must have a participation rate of 95% or above on state assessments;

• Meet or Exceed Proficiency: Students as a whole and each student subgroup must meet
the State's measurable AYP goals regarding the percentage of students scoring proficient
or better on the state assessments.

• Secondary Measure: Each school, school district, and the state as a whole must show
progress on an additional measure (graduation rate for high school and attendance rate for
elementary and middle schools). To make safe harbor for any student subgroup, the
secondary measure must also be met.

Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA):
A test designed for those students with disabilities who are unable to participate in the general
statewide assessments.

AYP Increments:
AYP goals are set by the state and refer to the percentage of students who performed at the
proficient achievement level or better on this year’s state test in language arts literacy and
mathematics for students in grade 4 (NJASK), grade 8 (GEPA) and grade 11 (HSPA). In order to
meet AYP goals for 2002-03 and 2003-04, the school population as a whole, as well as for
specific subgroups of students, is expected to meet or exceed the following percentages.

The AYP goals will increase in future years until all students are required to be proficient in 2013-14.

Consolidated State Accountability Workbook:
Each state was required to submit to the United States Department of Education a workbook that
details the implementation of its single accountability system. The entire document can be
accessed at:
http://www.nj.gov/njded/grants/nclb/workbook.pdf

Early Warning:
All schools are analyzed. Those that did not meet AYP in the first year are in early warning
status. If these schools do not meet adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years, in the
same content area, they are identified as a "school in need of improvement."

Economically Disadvantaged:
The term refers to an individual who is determined by a state educational agency or school
district to be a child, ages 5 through 18, from a low-income family, on the basis of data used to
determine children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the National School Lunch
Act.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):
ESEA was first enacted in 1965. It is the principal federal law affecting K-12 education. The No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the most recent reauthorization of the ESEA. Prior to NCLB,
the federal law was Improving America’s School Act (IASA).

Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA):
New Jersey academic proficiency assessment administered to students in grade 8.

Indicators:
Criteria to analyze the total student population and each of the student subgroups are used to
measure student performance in each of the content areas. Primary indicators include AYP
proficiency and participation rate of 95% or more. Attendance rate for elementary and middle
schools and graduation rate for high schools are also considered (secondary indicators). There
are a total of 40 primary indicators and one secondary indicator (attendance or graduation rate).

High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA):
New Jersey academic proficiency assessment administered to students in grade 11.

Limited English Proficient (LEP):
Limited English Proficient (LEP) refers to students for
whom English is a second language and who are not reading or writing English at grade level.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB):
NCLB is the most recent authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is
the principal federal law affecting K-12 schools.

New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK 4):
New Jersey academic proficiency assessment administered to students in grade 4.

Participation Rate:
Percentage of students in a school or district taking the state assessments.

Schools in Need of Improvement:
This is the status used to identify schools that did not meet the state’s definition of “Adequate
Yearly Progress” for two or more consecutive years.

Safe Harbor:
Safe Harbor is the method for making AYP if student subgroups do not meet performance
targets. It involves reducing the percentage of students scoring at non-proficient by at least 10%
for each and every student subgroup that did not meet performance targets.

Students with Disabilities:
One of the student subgroups that must be reported for AYP is students with disabilities. This
includes students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plans).

Student Subgroup:
Student groups must be disaggregated using assessment data. This includes: Native
American/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, White, Limited
English Proficiency, Economically Disadvantaged, and Students with Disabilities.