Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Glossary of Terms, 2010-11

Criterion score
Through 2011, the Gold Performance Acknowledgment (GPA) system acknowledged Texas school districts and campuses for high performance on indicators other than those used to determine accountability ratings. Under the AP/IB GPA indicator, the criterion for an AP examination was a score of 3 or higher, and the criterion for an IB examination was a score of 4 or higher. The percentage of examinees scoring at or above criterion on at least one AP or IB examination was calculated as follows:

Economically disadvantaged
Under Texas Education Agency (TEA) guidelines, a student is identified as economically disadvantaged if he or she is eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Program.

Gold Performance Acknowledgement
Through 2011, the Gold Performance Acknowledgment (GPA) system acknowledged Texas school districts and campuses for high performance on indicators other than those used to determine accountability ratings. The AP/IB GPA indicator required that at least 15 percent of non-special education 11th- and 12th-grade students take at least one AP or IB examination and at least 50 percent of 11th- and 12th-grade examinees receive at least one score of 3 or higher on an AP examination or 4 or higher on an IB examination.

Mean Score
A mean score is the average score for a given group on a given examination. As an example, the mean AP Psychology score for Texas is calculated as follows:

Participation rate
Participation rates for Texas public school students are presented for AP and IB examinations separately, as well as for the two combined. When combined results are presented, data for an individual who took both types of examinations are counted only once. Participation rates are calculated as follows:

Note that, although special education students are included in the numerator if they took either AP or IB examinations, they are not included in the denominator.

AP participation rates for students in public and nonpublic schools combined in Texas, other states, and the United States are calculated based on data obtained from the College Board. Special education students are included in both the numerator and denominator.

Race/ethnicity

College Board

The College Board collects self-reported demographic information, such as race/ethnicity, when examinees take each examination. Although the TEA racial/ethnic categories have recently changed, the College Board's categories have remained the same. Following are the racial/ethnic categories reported by the College Board:

1. American Indian
2. Asian
3. Black
4. Hispanic Overall
    a. Mexican American
    b. Puerto Rican
    c. Other Hispanic
5. White
6. Other

International Baccalaureate

TEA does not receive data on race/ethnicity from IB.

Texas Education Agency

School districts submit student demographic information to TEA through PEIMS. Prior to the 2009-10 school year, TEA required that districts submit one of five racial/ethnic categories for each student: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian or Pacific Islander; Black or African American (not of Hispanic origin); Hispanic/Latino; or White (not of Hispanic origin).

In 2009-10, TEA began collecting data on race and ethnicity in compliance with a new federal standard. For that year only, as a transitional measure, the data also were collected using the old standard. The new standard requires that race and ethnicity be collected separately using a specific two-part question, presented in a specific order, and that both parts of the question be answered.

Part 1. Ethnicity: Is the person Hispanic/Latino? Choose only one.

• Hispanic/Latino
• Not Hispanic/Latino

Part 2. Race: What is the person's race? Choose one or more, regardless of ethnicity.

• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Asian
• Black or African American
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• White

The racial/ethnic categories are defined as follows. Hispanic includes students of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. American Indian or Alaska Native includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain a tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Black or African American includes students having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. White includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

The new standard resulted in several important changes: (a) the combined racial category Asian/Pacific Islander is now separated into two categories; (b) students once identified exclusively as "Hispanic/Latino" must now report their race; (c) students may report more than one race; and (d) the definition for one of the racial categories—American Indian or Alaska Native—differs from that used in years past. Prior to 2009-10, American Indian or Alaska Native included students having origins in any of the original peoples of North America only.

For purposes of reporting Texas public school AP and IB data, TEA combines the answers to the two-part question to create seven mutually exclusive racial/ethnic categories. A student identified as Hispanic is included only in the count for Hispanics. A student not identified as Hispanic is included in the count for only one of the following six racial categories: African American, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, White, or multiracial. A student identified as having two or more races is included only in the count for multiracial students, not in the count for any single racial category.

Copyright Information
AP^® is a trademark of the College Board, and International Baccalaureate^® is a trademark of International Baccalaureate. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information
For questions or comments, please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis, or contact the division by phone at 512-475-3523.

This page last updated August 22, 2013.