The measurement used for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP “sets the bar” for school performance by groups of students. In order to make AYP, schools and districts need to meet every single performance target set for them. Targets are set for student performance on the state standardized tests in reading and mathematics as well as for what is termed Other Academic Indicators (OAI).
Attendance is deemed an OAI by NCLB for those schools that do not contain a grade 12 that graduates seniors. Progress is considered to be at least a 0.1 percentage point increase up to the 90% threshold. Any fluctuations above the threshold for the attendance will meet the requirement for progress. (There are special conditions that may apply when either of the grade spans—K-8 or 9-12—has fewer than 40 students.)
In the breakdown by student group where the number of students is too small (fewer than five), a N/A (not available) is displayed. This ensures that student information remains anonymous. In any group where the percentage of students is greater than 95% or less than 5%, the actual values may not be displayed because of federal privacy regulations. In these cases, the results will be shown as >95% or <5%.
More detailed information is available on the NC Department of Public Instruction’s No Child Left Behind website.