#Q-School

##Analytics tool for parents to explore NYC public schools

Prediction of grade (A, B, C, D, or F) given by NYC Department of Education for the current year (2013-14), which has not been graded yet. In addition, the tool includes a measure of performance of schools in terms of unadjusted student performance in Match and English Language.

###Data:

• Seven years of Progress Reports by NYC DoE: http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/tools/report/default.htm

• Grading evolved over the seven years

• Scores that undely the Grades are controlled for demographic characteristics of students (peering methodology)

###Department of Education Guide 2012-2013:

Grading:

• The Progress Report letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) provides an overall assessment of the school’s contribution to student learning in four main areas of measurement: (I) Student Progress, (II) Student Performance, (III) School Environment, and (IV) Closing the Achievement Gap.

Peering Methodology:

• The methods are designed to control for demographic characteristics of students so that the final score for each school has as little correlation as possible with incoming student characteristics such as poverty, ethnicity, disabilities, and English learner status.

• The Progress Report emphasizes year-to-year progress, compares schools mostly to peer schools matched based on incoming student characteristics, and awards additional credit based on exemplary progress with high-need student groups.

• Each school's performance is compared to the performance of schools in its peer group. Peer schools are those New York City public schools with student populations that are most similar across every student characteristic used for peering.

• For elementary and middle schools, each school has 30-40 peer schools, all of the same school type. For K-8 schools, each school has 25-30 peer K-8 schools.

• Peer groupings are created using a “nearest neighbor” matching methodology.

Scores:

• Student Progress (60 points), Student Performance (25 points), School Environment (15 points)
• Closing the Achievement Gap (up to 16 points for elementary schools; up to 17 points for middle and K-8 schools): awards credit to schools that achieve exemplary outcomes among high-need students. This component of the score can only improve a school’s overall Progress Report score. It cannot lower a school’s score.

Grades:

• Grades are assigned based on cut score tables. The overall cut scores were determined for 2012-13 based on a set grade distribution for each school type: 25% As, 35% Bs, 30% Cs, 7% Ds, and 3% Fs.

• There are two possible cases where a school would receive a grade higher than the grade implied by their overall score: a school with an average math and ELA proficiency in the top 33% citywide can get no lower than a “C” and if a school earned an “A” in 2011-12 the lowest possible grade it can receive for 2012-13 is a “D”.