How were proficiency starting points established?
The NCLB Act prescribed the process for determining starting points for reading and math. Baselines for New Mexico students were established using these steps: Schools were ranked from lowest to highest based upon assessment performance in school year 2003-2004. Beginning with the lowest ranked school, the enrollment for each school was added to the enrollment of the next higher performing school. This continued until 20% of the statewide enrollment had been reached. The starting point became the rate (percentage) of students who scored proficient for the school at that level.
