NCLB School Report Card Masking Rules


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A printer-friendly version of the Texas NCLB Report Card Data Masking Rules is also available as a PDF download.

The 2008-09 Texas No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Report Card employs masking of data in order to comply with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Generally speaking, the term "masking" refers to the use of special symbols to conceal the results.

The Texas NCLB Report Card masked data are presented on two tables: Part I, Student Achievement and Part II, Academic Expectations through Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Additional masking rules are applied for the columns Percent of students in each achievement level on table Part I, Student Achievement.

The Report Card masking rules explained below apply to the following shaded columns found on Part I and Part II.

Part I - Student Achievement

Percent of Students in Each Achievement Level
		Percent of Students Met Standard (Proficient) and Commended (Advanced)	Percent Tested	Percent Not Meeting Standard (Basic)	Percent Met Standard (Proficient)	Percent Commended (Advanced)
Student Group	Year

Part II - Academic Expectations through Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

		Reading/Language Arts		Mathematics		Additional Academic Indicators
		Percent Tested Goal 95%	Percent Met Standard (Proficient) and Commended (Advanced) ‘08 Goal: 60% ‘09 Goal: 67%	Percent Tested Goal 95%	Percent Met Standard (Proficient) and Commended (Advanced) ‘08 Goal: 50% ‘09 Goal: 58%	Graduation Rate Goal 70%	Attendance Rate Goal 90%
Student Group	Year

The columns shown above are masked under the following conditions:

When very few students in a group are reported. If the information reported is revealed for a group of very few students, then it is possible that the result for an individual student could be known, which violates that student's right to privacy.

When all students are included in the percent shown. Revealing that 100 percent of the students passed or 0 percent passed is considered to be a violation of the privacy of all students, because the result for every student tested is known. In cases where the result is 100 percent or round to 100 percent, then the expression >99% is shown. In cases where the results are 0 percent or round to 0 percent, then <1% is shown.

Symbols Used for reporting the Texas NCLB Report Card, Part I - Student Achievement, Percent Tested and
Part II - Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), All Columns

Examples	Numerator	Denominator	Actual Value	What is Shown on Report	Meaning
1a	0	0	undefined	*	Denominator is less than five (including 0).
	4	4	100%	*
	3	4	75%	*
	0	4	0%	*
1b	No Data	No Data	No Data	n/a	Data is not available or applicable
2a	0	5	0%	<1%	Denominator is five or more; and, Percent is 0 or rounds to 0.
2a	1	201	0%	<1%
2b	24	24	100%	>99%	Denominator is five or more; and, Percent is 100 or rounds to 100.
	995	1000	100%	>99%
	199	200	100%	>99%

Masking Rules for the Texas NCLB Report Card Part I – Student Achievement, Percent of students in each achievement level.

Additional masking is necessary for the Texas NCLB Report Card Part I – Student Achievement data shown in the columns Percent of students in each achievement level.

Part I - Student Achievement

Percent of Students in Each Achievement Level





Percent of
Students Met
Standard
(Proficient)
and
Commended

(Advanced)

Percent Tested

Percent Not
Meeting
Standard
(Basic)

Percent Met
Standard
(Proficient)

Percent
Commended
(Advanced)

Student Group

Year











The data presented in Part I: Percent of students in each achievement level provide users with performance results in three mutually exclusive categories:

Percent Not Meeting Standard (Basic)

Percent Met Standard (Proficient)

Percent Commended (Advanced)

The results in these categories will always add to 100%, except in cases where rounding causes the sum of the percentages to round to either 99% or 101%. To maintain student confidentiality in cases where the results of all students or no students fall into one or more of these categories, the percentages will be masked under the following conditions:

When one or more of the categories reported indicate that all students fail, all students meet the standard only, or all students meet the commended level. Revealing that 100 percent or 0 percent of the students fail, meet the standard only, or meet the commended level is considered to be a violation of the privacy of all students, because the result for every student tested is known.

a. In cases where any one of the three categories of performance percentages are 100 percent or round to 100 percent, then all three categories are masked and “*” is shown in each category.

b. In cases where any one of the three categories of performance percentages are 0 percent or round to 0 percent, then all three categories are masked and “*” is shown in each category, except in the following scenario:

        Exception: If the Percent Not Meeting Standard is greater than 0 and either Percent Met
        Standard or Percent Commended is 0 percent or rounds to 0 percent, both categories,
        “Met Standard” and “Commended”, are masked and “*” is shown. The results for the
        Percent Not Meeting Standard are shown.

Symbols Used for reporting the Texas NCLB Report Card, Part I - Student Achievement, Columns: Percent of students in each achievement level)

Examples Numerator Denominator Actual
Value What is
Shown on
Report
Meaning

1

0

0

undefined

*

Denominator is less
than five
(including 0).

4

4

100%

*

3

4

75%

*

0

4

0%

*

2a

0

5

0%

*

Denominator is five
or more; and,

Percent is 0 or
rounds to 0.

1

201

0%

*

2b

24

24

100%

*

Denominator is five
or more; and,

Percent is 100 or
rounds to 100.

995

1000

100%

*

199

200

100%

*

For there to be no masking of data, both of the following conditions must be met:

Results are based on five or more students tested; and,
Percent is not 100 or 0 and does not round to either 100 or 0.

Examples of No Masking applied to the Texas NCLB Report Card tables

Numerator Denominator Percent

Examples

197

200

99%

3

6

50%

59

62

95%

Call Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704 or by email at performance.reporting@tea.state.tx.us with any questions you may have about this document.

This page last updated January 29, 2010

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	Numerator	Denominator	Percent
Examples	197	200	99%
	3	6	50%
	59	62	95%