How is a confidence interval calculated and how is it used?
For a school that did not demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) by not meeting the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO), the first part of the “second look” procedure the Confidence Interval (CI) is implemented. The confidence interval approach is a simple statistical test that determines whether the observed percentage of a group meeting a proficiency criterion is significantly lower than the AMO target for that test. The procedure minimizes the chance that a school or school system does not make AYP because of the natural differences that occur in groups of students from school to school or from year to year that have nothing to do with instruction.
