FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Dr. Eric J. Smith
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Commissioner of Education
May 9, 2008
ME M O R A N D U M
TO: District School Superintendents, District School Report Contacts, MIS Directors, and
Coordinators of Accountability
FROM: Lavan Dukes
SUBJECT: Public Reporting Requirements and Data Verification for the 2007-08 “No Child Left
Behind” (NCLB) School Public Accountability Reports (SPARs)
NCLB legislation requires that school districts provide parents with an annual school status
report prior to the beginning of each school year (see attached Critical Dates). To assist Florida
school districts in preparing these reports, known as the NCLB School Public Accountability
Reports (SPARs), the Department of Education will produce a downloadable file by district
(DPS##.GE.F70396.Y0708) containing data for the required NCLB indicators, plus a printable
SPAR file (DPS##.GE.F70405.Y0708) and printable AYP addendum report
(DPS##.GE.F70417.Y0708). Additional selected indicators on the status of schools are included
on the NCLB SPARs in the DOE-prepared data file.
Disaggregation of Data for Key Indicators and Online SPARs
NCLB legislation requires reporting on specific subgroups of students for FCAT results, the
graduation rate, and other indicators. The subgroups are shown on key indicators in the existing
NCLB SPARs, which can be accessed online at the following URL: http://doeweb-
prd.doe.state.fl.us/eds/nclbspar/index.cfm .
GARNET L. DUKES, JR.
Bureau Chief
Accountability, Research, and Measurement
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 852 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0400 • www.fldoe.org
NCLB SPAR Indicators
May 9, 2008
Page 2
NCLB SPAR Indicators
The following list shows the indicators that are required for the annual public disclosure reports
under NCLB provisions, as well as additional indicators providing data of interest on the status
of Florida’s public schools.
Indicators are described in more detail in a publication titled “Guide to Calculations for the
NCLB School Public Accountability Report.” An online version of the 2007-08 guide will be
available at http://www.fldoe.org/eias/eiaspubs/pdf/nclbguide.pdf, by the first of June. Note that
the list of core academic courses for highly qualified teacher (HQT) data has been updated for
2007-08. The course ranges for HQT are shown in the online database Appendix R at
http://www.fldoe.org/eias/dataweb/database_0708/appendr.pdf.
Indicators Prepared by the DOE
•
Kindergarten Readiness
•
NCLB Graduation Rate
•
Dropout Rate
•
Entry-Level College Common Placement Test (CPT) Results for 2005 Graduates
•
Student Test Results (FCAT and Alternate Assessments) Reading, Math, and Science
•
New Teachers and Staff
•
School Evaluation for Unsafe School Choice Option
•
Teachers by Professional Degree Level
•
Classes Taught by Teachers Teaching In-Field/Out-of-Field
*
•
Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers
*
•
October Membership
•
School Performance Grade
•
NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Indicator
Data for District Review and Verification
Some of the NCLB SPAR indicators for the 2007-08 report have been calculated in advance for
prior publications (such as the graduation and dropout rates, which present data from the
previous year). Considering this, and in light of the compressed production timeline for these
reports, districts are being asked to review data for only two indicators: Classes Taught by In-
Field and Out-of-Field Teachers and the Percentage of Classes Not Taught by Highly Qualified
Teachers.
2007-08 Data for District Verification Prior to Release
Indicator
Source of Data
Classes Taught by In-Field and
Out-of-Field Teachers
DOE Automated Student Information
Database; Teacher Course format, Survey 3
Classes Not Taught by Highly
Qualified Teachers
DOE Automated Student Information
Database; Student Demographic, Student
Course, Teacher Course; Survey 3
*Available for district review/verification beginning May 9, 2008.
NCLB SPAR Indicators
May 9, 2008
Page 3
The file names/numbers for these indicators are as follows:
In-field/out-of-field verification file =
DPS##.GE.F70406.Y0708
Highly qualified teacher verification file =
DPS##.GE.F70407.Y0708
Detailed data for HQT and Out-of-Field =
DPS##.GQ.F63291.Y07083
**
** Report for request designed solely to provide assistance in verifying data; select Survey 3
for results comparable with the SPAR data. Downloads as two reports (F63291 for HQT,
and F70801 for In-Field/Out-of-Field). These reports must be requested via the CICS
menu and will be available the following day.
Distribution Requirements
Remember, to meet NCLB legislation requirements, school reports must be made available to the
public before the beginning of the school year. Districts and schools may elect to send a multi-
page copy of the report (including the AYP indicator) to parents or guardians of all their
students. However, considering ongoing efforts to reduce printing costs and to take advantage of
efficiencies promoted by paperless forms of communication, the Florida Department of
Education is suggesting local consideration of certain alternative methods for meeting this public
disclosure requirement as described below. Although the Department’s goal is to have the NCLB
SPARs available online as soon as possible, districts should not rely on this as the means for
meeting the reporting requirements.
In lieu of sending the NCLB SPAR itself, districts and schools may send notification of the
report’s availability to parents or guardians of every student, indicating where and how they can
view or obtain the report. At a minimum, a printed copy of the report must be kept at both the
school and district offices for viewing, and a copy must be sent to parents, guardians, or
community members upon request.
Examples of other forms of access to the reports (which may reduce individual requests for
printed copies) include the following:
•
Copies are placed in public libraries or other public areas.
•
Each report is web-based with a print option.
•
Reports are printed in local newspapers, newsletters, or other general distribution print formats.
•
Reports are shown on local cable access channels.
Pending Availability of a COBOL Record Layout
The file name is DPS.FORMAT.TECH.Y0708.
NCLB SPAR Indicators
May 9, 2008
Page 4
2007-08 NCLB SPARs
Critical Dates for Districts
May 9, 2008 Memo to district staff regarding the NCLB SPAR
May 9, 2008 Districts may access the following verification files for review.
In-field/out-of-field verification file =
DPS##.GE.F70406.Y0708
Highly qualified teacher verification file =
DPS##.GE.F70407.Y0708
Detailed report for request on HQT and Out-of-Field:
DPS##.GQ.F63291.Y07083 (F63291 and F70801)
June 6, 2008 Second chance for districts to review the above mentioned verification files
July 9, 2008 Last day for districts to update Survey 2 & 3 data (NCLB reporting purposes
only)
August 1, 2008 Final NCLB SPAR data files are made available to districts:
NCLB SPAR raw data file:
DPS##.GE.F70396.Y0708
NCLB SPAR print file:
DPS##.GE.F70405.Y0708
AYP Report addendum, print file:
DPS##. GE.F70417.Y0708
Record layout
:
DPS.FORMAT.TECH.Y0708
NOTE: Please contact Education Information Services at
850.245.9913 or
ASKEIAS@FLDOE.org if you have any problems with
these files.
August 2008 Schools and districts distribute reports (or notification of availability of
reports) to parents
no later than the beginning of the school year
.
Please note this schedule is subject to change.
Questions should be directed to Cyndi Holleman or Ali Raker, Education Accountability Reports
Services, at (850) 245-0400, Fax (850) 245-9097, or e-mail Cyndi.Holleman@fldoe.org or
Alice.Raker@fldoe.org.
Thank you for your assistance in providing accurate and useful educational data to Florida’s
citizens.
GLD/csh
Enclosures
c:
School Improvement Contacts
Student Database Contacts
Staff Database Contacts
