Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCTs)

Performance Level Descriptors

Student performance on the OCCTs is classified into one of two (Satisfactory) or (Unsatisfactory) or four performance levels (Advanced, Satisfactory, Limited Knowledge, and Unsatisfactory). The performance level names clearly convey a message about the level of student performance.  On the other hand, because the names are so straightforward, there may be a tendency to pay insufficient attention to the performance level descriptors.  When interpreting and using OCCT results, it is important to understand the specific knowledge and skills that a student must be able to demonstrate at each performance level. A level of knowledge that one district has regarded as Satisfactory may only meet the state's definition of Limited Knowledge.  School personnel who understand the distinctions between the performance levels will be in a much stronger position to make full use of the OCCT results.

The Academic Performance Index, or API, was created to measure the performance and progress of a school or district based on several factors that contribute to overall educational success.  The possible scores range from 0 to 1,500, with 1,000 being the average score of schools and districts in the 2001 - 2002 school year.  The factors used in the calculation of an API score include:

• Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) - as measured by student success on state achievement tests.

• School completion - including attendance, dropout, and graduation rates.

• Academic excellence - includes ACT scores and participation, Advanced Placement (AP) credit, and college remediation rates in reading and mathematics.

Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is determined by the success or failure of an individual school or district in achieving the state defined performance benchmarks. Schools which fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress face a number of possible sanctions should they continue to perform below the acceptable level or fail to provide a quality education for all student groups.