Impact of Untested Students
Are untested students included in the Indicators Met calculation?
No, the Ohio Department of Education determines if each indicator is “met” or “not met” using only the scores of the students who actually participate in each assessment and have a numerical scaled score. The department does not assign an artificial score of zero to nonparticipants, but rather the students simply have no score reported. Untested students are not included in the Indicators calculation and do not affect the letter grade for this measure.
Are untested students included in the Performance Index Score calculation?
Yes, all students are included in the Performance Index (PI) Score. Points are earned based the percentage of tests that fall into each of the five ranges of scores from Advanced to 
Limited, plus those earning the bonus weight of Advanced Plus. The calculation is designed to reward schools for moving students from one proficiency level to a higher proficiency level, and the number of points awarded increases as the scores increase. ODE does not assign an artificial score of zero to non-participants, but no points are earned for tests not taken, so having a large number of untested students will reduce a school’s or district’s PI score. The A-F letter grades are assigned based on how many points are earned out of a possible 120 points, so having untested students might result in a letter grade reduction.
Are untested students included in the AMO Proficiency calculation?
No, a “preliminary” AMO letter grade is assigned based on the percentage of total points earned for reading, math and graduation. The percentage of points earned for reading and math is calculated based on: 1) how many students in each of 10 student groups pass their tests, and 2) the calculation uses only the scores of the students who actually participate in each assessment and have a numerical scaled score. ODE does not assign an artificial score of zero to non-participants, but rather the students simply have no score reported. Untested students are not included and do not affect the “preliminary” letter grade for this measure. It is important to note, however, that the AMO calculation also includes a participation requirement and untested students are used in this calculation (see the FAQ immediately below).
Are untested students included in the AMO Participation calculation?
Yes, the federal No Child Left Behind Law requires all states to calculate a participation rate for reading and math for 10 different groups of students. The federal law also requires states to ensure that at least 95 percent of the students in each student group participate. If a subgroup’s participation rate drops below 95 percent, the school’s or district’s “preliminary” AMO letter grade is reduced by one level (e.g. if a school would have earned an “A” based on the students’ test scores and the percentage of students who graduated, that grade would drop to a “B”).
Are untested students included in the school and district Value-Added calculations?
The Value-Added grades are assigned based on whether a group of students has made progress or shown growth from one year to the next. If one or more students have no current-year scores, then there is no way to include the growth of those students in the calculation. The students do not have a score of zero assigned to them and they do not cause the current year’s average gain to be reduced artificially. They simply have no current year score to contribute to the calculation and their growth is not included. Because we don’t know how much progress the untested students made, there is no way to determine the effect that they have on a school’s or district’s Value-Added grade.
Are untested students included in a teacher’s Value-Added calculation?
A teacher’s Value-Added rating is assigned based on whether the class of students has made progress or shown growth from one year to the next. If one or more students have no current-year scores, then there is no way to include those students’ growth in the calculation. The students do not have a score of zero assigned to them and they do not cause the teacher’s current year’s average gain to be reduced artificially. They simply have no score to contribute to the calculation and their growth is not included. Because we don’t know how much progress the untested students made, there is no way to determine the effect that they have on a teacher’s grade. A teacher must have at least six full year equivalent students in order to be able to get a report. If a large number of students were untested, it could result in no report being generated.
Are untested students included in the K-3 Literacy Improvement calculation?
In some cases untested students are included in the calculation; in other cases they are not. The K-3 Literacy Improvement calculation reports the percentage of students identified as being “not on track” with their reading skills in one school year who improve to being “on track” in reading by the next year. Only those students who are identified as being not on track in the first year are included in the calculation. If a student is reported as being not on track in the first year and there is no score in the second year, the student continues to be considered not on track when the improvement percentage is calculated. If a student is on track in the first year and there is no score in the second year, then the student is not included in the calculation.
