Executive Summary
(October 9, 2007)
Statistical Summary of Results
There are 2,407 schools in North Carolina that will be included in the full ABCs report for the 2006-07
school year.  These include regular public schools spanning combinations of grades K-12, charter schools,
alternative schools, and charter schools evaluated as alternative schools.  The statewide results appear in
Table 1.  Thirty-one schools were not assigned an ABCs status because they were special education
schools, vocational/career schools, or hospital schools that participated in the ABCs on the basis of the
schools they served, and two schools were in violation of the participation rule.
Table 1.	2006-07 ABCs Results
Category	High	Expected	Less than	Alternative Schools	Row	Row
	Growth	Growth	Expected	Schools	Total	Percent
Honor Schools of Excellence	66	18			84	3.5%
Schools of Excellence	7	2			9	0.4%
Schools of Distinction	208	253			461	19.2%
Schools of Progress	248	681			929	38.6%
No Recognition Schools			410	10	419	17.4%
Priority Schools	40	128	184		352	14.6%
Low Performing Schools			45		45	1.9%
Total (Regular Schools)	569	1,082	639
No Status Schools			27		27	1.1%
Alternative Schools	17	63	10		90	3.7%
Total	586	1,145	676		2,407
Percent	24.3%	47.6%	28.1%
Percent Meeting at Least	71.9%
Expected Growth Standards
Overall, 71.9% of the schools met either their expected or high growth standards.
The 2006-07 ABCs program also reported the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of  2,350 of the state's
schools during the fourth year's implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  Table 2 shows the number
and percent of the state's schools that met and did not meet AYP.
Table 2.	2006-07 Statewide AYP Results
AYP Status		Number		Percent
Schools that Met AYP		1,052		44.8
Schools that Did Not Meet AYP		1,298		55.2
Total		2,350		100.0
AYP results are presented by ABCs categories in Table 3.  Schools must have both an ABCs status and
AYP status to appear in this table.  Schools that did not receive an ABCs status (i.e., special education
schools, vocational/career schools, hospital schools, and schools with unresolved data issues) are not
reflected here.
Table 3.	2006-07 School AYP Results by ABCs Recognition Categories
	Met AYP		Did Not Meet AYP		Total
Category	#	%	#	%	#
Honor Schools of Excellence	83	100.0			83
Schools of Excellence			4	100.0	4
Schools of Distinction	324	71.7	128	28.3	452
Schools of Progress	443	48.2	476	51.8	919
No Recognition	108	26.4	301	73.6	409
Priority Schools	64	18.2	287	81.8	351
Low Performing Schools	6	13.3	39	86.7	45
Expected Growth	522	46.8	593	53.2	1,115
High Growth	383	67.2	187	32.8	570
Note: To be included in Table 3, the school must have both an ABCs and AYP status.
Presentation of School Results
Results of the 2006-07 ABCs are presented online at http://abcs.ncpublicschools.org.  The website offers
users the ability to view and/or print PDF and Excel files showing ABCs growth, performance, and AYP
results by individual school and school district (LEA).  The site features map and custom search
capabilities.
The Web site report includes menu selections that allow the user to access results for Alternative
Schools, Performance of All Schools, Schools of Distinction, Honor Schools of Excellence, Schools
Making High Growth, Schools Making Expected Growth, Low-Performing Schools, Schools of Progress,
Priority Schools, Charter Schools, Schools Meeting AYP, and Schools Not Meeting AYP.  A link to Schools
with No ABCs Status shows results for schools that receive ABCs incentive awards based on the schools
they serve (special education schools, vocational/career schools and hospital schools), schools not included
due to insufficient data, and schools with unresolved data issues.  Also included in the main table are those
schools that do not participate in the ABCs but have an AYP status.
There are links to Special Conditions and Technical Notes documents that explain ABCs calculations and
ABCs technical information.  Technical Notes include a summary of standard conventions used in the
analyses, a history of the ABCs, a table of constants and parameters used in the ABCs computations
and the End-of-Course prediction formulas.
Background
The State Board of Education (SBE) developed the ABCs of Public Education in response to the
School-Based Management and Accountability Program enacted by the General Assembly in June 1996.
The program focuses on strong Accountability, teaching the Basics with an emphasis on high educational
standards, and maximum local Control.
In 2002-03, the ABCs program was expanded to incorporate the new statutory accountability requirements
of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  This federal legislation sets a proficiency goal of 100% for all schools by
2013-14.  The SBE adopted AYP as a "closing the achievement gap component" of the ABCs in
response to General Statute 115C-105.35. New growth formulas were implemented in 2005-06 that make
comparisons to previous years inappropriate.
The ABCs accountability program sets growth and performance standards for each elementary, middle, and
high school in the state.  End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) test results and other selected
components are used to measure a school's growth and performance.  Schools that attain the standards
are eligible for incentive awards or other recognition, i.e., Honor Schools of Excellence, Schools of
Excellence, Schools of Distinction and Schools of Progress.  Schools where growth and performance
fall below specified levels are designated as low-performing and may receive mandated assistance based
on action by the SBE.
Participating Schools
All schools with sufficient data are included on the report.  K-2 schools participating in the ABCs received
their ABCs status, AYP status, and incentive awards (if applicable) based on the performance of the schools
that received the largest percent of students from the K-2 schools.
Alternative schools are included in the ABCs per State Board of Education Policy HSP-C-013.  Their ABCs
status is based on achievement data (EOC, EOG, competency passing rates) and three "local options"
specified in their school improvement plans (from a list available based in HSP-C-013) and approved by their
local board of education.   The only ABCs designation that an alternative school can receive are: High
Growth, Expected Growth, No Recognition, or Low-Performing.  The procedures used in determining AYP
for regular schools apply to alternative schools as well.
Special education schools, vocational/career schools, and hospital schools did not receive an ABCs status,
but they received prorated ABCs incentive awards, based on the schools they served.  They also received
an AYP status that was determined by the performance of the schools they served.  They made AYP if at
least half of the schools they served made AYP.
Analyses
ABCs Growth and Performance
A school's ABCs status is determined by average growth, the change ratio (a measure of the percent of
students meeting their individual growth targets) and a performance composite.  A school's grade span
and/or courses determined the composition of these measures, as described below.
The average growth for a school may include:
a)    Average growth on EOG reading and mathematics for grades 3-8 and any EOC tests.
b)    Change over a two-year baseline in the percent of students completing the college/university prep and
college tech prep course of study.
c)    Change in the competency passing rate (from grade 8 to grade 10).
d)    Change in the ABCs dropout rate (compared to a two-year baseline).
The schools whose average growth is equal to the growth expectation (shown by an average difference of 0.00
or better) are said to have met expected growth.
The change ratio used to determine the attainment of high growth may include:
a)    The growth status of individual students on EOG reading and mathematics for grades 3-8 and any EOC
tests.
b)    Change over a two-year baseline in the percent of students completing the college/university prep and
college tech prep courses of study.
c)    Change in the competency passing rate (from grade 8 to grade 10).
d)    Change in the ABCs dropout rate (compared to ta two-year baseline).
The factors are arranged such that the number of students meeting their individual growth standards is in the
numerator along with the change in competency pass rate and college/university prep and college tech
prep courses of study.  Students not meeting their individual growth standard are in the denominator and the
decrease in dropout rate is subtracted from the denominator.  Schools that have an average growth of 0.00 or
better (met expected growth) and have a change ratio of 1.50 or better are said to have met high growth.
The performance composite is the school's percentage of test scores in the school at or above Achievement
Level III in reading and mathematics (from the EOG and alternate assessments), and EOC tests: Algebra I
and II, Biology, Civics & Economics, English I, Geometry, and U.S. History (Chemistry, Physical Science  and
Physics were statewide field tests in 2006-07 and, therefore, not included in the ABCs in 2006-07).  Algebra I
scores of students in grade 9 who took Algebra I prior to ninth grade are included in the high school's
performance composite.  For schools with a 8th grade, the percent of 8th grade students who passed the
Computer Skills Test prior to the first day of spring testing is included as well.
AYP Analyses
NCLB requires that each school be evaluated with respect to making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
In order for a school to make AYP, each student subgroup (School as a whole; American Indian; Asian;
Black; Hispanic; Multi-Racial; White; Economically Disadvantaged; Limited English Proficient, and Students
with Disabilities) must have at least 95% participation rate in the statewide assessments.  Each subgroup
must meet or exceed the State's percent proficient targets in reading and in mathematics (annual
measurable objectives).   In addition, the school as a whole must show progress on the other academic
indicator, which is either attendance or graduation rate (depending on the grade configuration of the school).
For additional information, see Determining AYP Status (linked from the blue sidebar at
http://abcs.ncpublicschools.org/).
Definition of ABCs Awards
Schools Making High Growth attained their high growth standard. Certified staff members each receive up to
$1,500 and teacher assistants up to $500.
Schools Making Expected Growth attained their expected growth standard (but not their high growth
standard). Certified staff members receive up to $750 and teacher assistants up to $375.
Definition of Recognition Categories
Honors Schools of Excellence are schools that made at least expected growth and had at least 90% of their
students' scores at or above Achievement Level III, and made AYP.  These schools receive banners and
certificates.
Schools of Excellence are schools that made at least expected growth and had at least 90% of their
students' scores at or above Achievement Level III, but did not make AYP.  These schools receive banners,
and certificates.
Schools of Distinction are schools that made at least expected growth and had at least 80% of their
students' scores at or above Achievement Level III (but were not Honor Schools of Excellence or Schools
of Excellence).  They receive plaques and certificates.
Schools of Progress are schools that made at least expected growth and had at least 60% of their
students' scores at or above Achievement Level III (but were not Honor Schools of Excellence or Schools
of Excellence or Distinction).  They receive certificates.
Schools Receiving No Recognition did not make their expected growth standards but have at least 60% of
their students' scores at or above Achievement Level III.
Priority Schools are schools that have less than 60% of their students' scores at or above Achievement Level
III, irrespective of making their expected growth standards, and are not Low-Performing Schools.
Low-Performing Schools are those that failed to meet their expected growth standards and have significantly
less than 50% of their students' scores at or above Achievement Level III.
Schools that violate the testing requirements are assigned a violation status and cannot receive financial
awards or any ABCs status, except low-performing.  Low performing schools that violate testing requirements
are assigned the low-performing status in addition to the violation status.  The State Board of Education may
designate schools that violate testing requirements for two consecutive years as low-performing.