Texas Education Agency Skip to Main Content
   Home | District Locator | Index A-Z | Divisions | School Directory
  SEARCH   Funding   Testing/Account   Curriculum   Reports   News

Explanation of Masking Rules

The 2012 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data tables employ masking of assessment 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 performance results. State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) results are masked under the following conditions:
  1. When very few students in the group are assessed.
    If performance 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.
  2. When all students have the same result (for example, either all passing or all failing).
    Revealing that 100 percent of the students passed or 0 percent passed has been deemed to violate the privacy of all students tested in that the result for every student tested is known. In cases where STAAR or TAKS results are 100 percent or round to 100 percent, then the expression >99% is shown. In cases where STAAR or TAKS results are 0 percent or round to 0 percent, then <1% is shown.

The tables below show each of the masking situations that are possible on the 2012 AYP data tables. Note that an asterisk ('*') is used for a number of different conditions. The symbols in the shaded bars (rows with case labels) will appear on the reports in place of the data shown in the examples.

Symbols Used for STAAR or TAKS Performance and Participation

Scenarios
Numerator
Denominator
Percent
Meaning
Case 1
*
*
*
  • Denominator is less than five (including 0).
Examples
4
4
100%
 
3
4
75%
0
0
n/a
0
4
0%
Case 2
*
*
>99%
  • Denominator is five or more; and,
  • Percent is 100 or rounds to 100.
Examples
24
24
100%
 
995
1000
100%
199
200
100%
Case 3
*
*
<1%
  • Denominator is five or more; and,
  • Percent is 0 or rounds to 0.
Example
0
5
0%
 
Case 4
*
*
Number
  • Denominator is five or more; and,
  • The difference between the numerator and denominator is one or two; and,
  • Percent is not 100 or 0 and does not round to 100 or 0.

Examples
22
23
96%
 
198
200
99%
3
5
60%
Case 5
*
*
Number
  • Denominator is five or more; and,
  • The numerator is one or two; and,
  • Percent is not 100 or 0 and does not round to 100 or 0.
Examples
2
5
40%
 
1
5
20%

In summary for there to be no masking of assessment data, all of the following conditions must be met:

  • Denominator is five or more and,
  • Number passing is more than two; and,
  • Number failing is more than two; and,
  • Percent is not 100 or 0 and does not round to either 100 or 0.
 
Numerator
Denominator
Percent
Examples
197
200
99%
3
6
50%
59
62
95%

Graduation Rate Symbols Used

Scenarios
Numerator
Denominator
Percent
Meaning
Case 1
*
Number
*
Denominator is 2, 3, or 4.
Examples
1
4
25.0%
 
0
2
0.0%
3
3
100.0%
Case 2
0
0
--
Denominator is 0.
Case 3
*
*
*
Denominator is 1.
Examples
0
1
0.0%
 
1
1
100.0%

Symbols Used for Masking Downloads

Data available for download ( /ayp/2012/download.html ) are also masked:

Masking Symbol in Download
Masking Symbol on Data Table
What is Masked
-1
*
Small numbers
-2
n/a
Values at 0%
-3
<1%
Values near 0%
-4
>99%
Values at or near 100%
-999
*
Small numbers in Actual Change and Required Improvement only.

 

For Attendance, the masking rules are as follows:

Scenarios

Numerator

Denominator

Percent

Meaning

Case 1

*

Number

*

Denominator is less than or equal to 720 (excluding 0).

Examples

100

400

25.0%

 

0

200

0.0%

800

800

100.0%

Case 2

0

0

--

Denominator is 0.

Case 3

*

*

*

Denominator is less than or equal to 180.

Examples

0

1

0.0%

 

1

1

100.0%

 


2012 AYP | AYP Home

 
Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas, 78701
(512) 463-9734
Map | Site Policies | TEA Jobs
Complaints
Fraud Hotline
Compact with Texans
Frequently Asked Questions
ESCs
State of Texas
Texas Legislature
Homeland Security
TRAIL
Military Families
Where Our Money Goes
Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
Copyright Texas Education Agency (TEA) 2007-2012