Frequently Asked Policy Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

2007 SLCP Grantee Webinar

February 3, 2009 Year One APR guidance here.

2006 SLCP Grantee Webinars

January 8, 2009 year 3 mid-year guidance and updates here.

November 14, 2008 years 1 and 2 APR guidance and updates here.

2005 SLCP Grantee Webinar

November 12, 2008 presentation and important updates here.

Below you will find answers to some common questions related to the Annual Performance Report.

Answers to the 2006 and 2005 Webinar questions here.

Cover Sheet

Q: Does Item 10, "Annual Certification of Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval" apply to SLC reports?

A: No, it does not apply. Check "N/A" for Cover sheet item #10.

Student Enrollment (Tables 1.a & 1.b)

Q: The report asks for enrollment as of October. What year does this refer to?

A: The APR is due on December 31, and covers the school year ending the previous Spring. The enrollment figure should be enrollment in October of that school year.
Q: We don't have any students in SLCs in 9, 10, and 11 grade, but the workbook won't let me move from table 1.b to table 2 until I enter something in those grades. What do I do?

A: If there are no students involved in an SLC at a particular grade level, you must enter either "0" or "N/A" before the workbook will allow you to move on to Table 2. All cells in Tables 1.a and 1.b must be filled in before you can move on to Table 2.
Q: For the number of students in SLC's, should I include the number in our pilot program that ran before we got the SLC grant, or the number in our SLC's for this first SLC implementation school year?

A: To report the number of students in SLCs, grantees should count students who were in SLCs supported by their federal grant during the reporting period.
Q: On the enrollment worksheet, the racial/ethnic categories do not include "multiracial". We have a substantial number of students categorized as multiracial. How should they be reported?

A: You have two options:
1. If it is possible to disaggregate the multiracial category into its component parts, you should do that. A person should be recorded in multiple racial/ethnic categories - once for each category to which they apply. The spreadsheet will allow the sum of the ethnic/racial categories to exceed the total number of students enrolled, so it does not present a data problem to count one student in two or three different ethnic/racial categories.
2. If it is not possible to disaggregate, you can leave the multiracial category out of the table and make a note in the "additional information" box at the bottom of the page. Because the totals in the table are calculated by adding male and female, leaving the multiracial students out of the ethnic rows will not affect the total. Multiracial students will be accounted for in the male/female breakout and in the total line. However, make sure you are consistent in using this method every year, to ensure year-to-year comparability.

SLC Strategies and Structures (Table 2)

Q: Counting AP Students: When documenting the number of students involved in AP classes, some students take more than one AP class. The total number of students sitting in our various AP classes might be 200 but when you discount the number of kids taking more than one AP class the actual number might be 170. Which number do we use?

A: Grantees should report the number of students - not the total number of classes taken. In other words, a single student taking three AP classes should be counted as "1" and not as "3".
Q: Table 2 is asking for district level data on strategies and structures being employed throughout the district. What do we do if the school district does not keep this type of data?

A: Table 2 is asking for data from your first year of implementation. As a condition of the federal grant, grantees are asked to collect data on strategies and structures being used in their participating schools. The district level report of this information is simply an aggregation of the totals at the school level. This aggregation can be calculated automatically through the slcapr.ed.gov website.

Statewide Assessment Data (Table 3.a)

Q: Our state sets target goals for their AYP results for the 10th grade comprehensive exam and for the graduation rate. However, the state does not have a performance goal for placement rates that we were able to locate. Our understanding was that we should look at grant goals, then school or district goals, and finally at statewide AYP goals to find a percentage for the performance goal columns on the APR. Since we were unable to locate a performance goal for placement rates through any of these avenues, would you recommend that we leave the performance goal columns in the placement rate table blank?

A: If there are no performance goals for placement rate, you should enter "N/A" into those cells and include a brief explanation in the comments box at the bottom of the page. Note that grantees in Cohort 4 and beyond are required to include performance goals for placement rate in their grant applications. So if you are in Cohort 4 or 5 you should find the goals in your grant application.
Q: Table 3.a-1: Section E: What is the definition of "proficient and advanced level" for the statewide assessment?

A: "Proficient and advanced level" refers to the level set by the state to determine whether NCLB AYP has been met for state assessments. Each state has a single test that it uses to determine whether NCLB AYP has been met, and each state has set a cut-off score that it considers to be "proficient." You should report the same assessment data for the SLC APR that are reported for NCLB AYP purposes.

Graduation Rate (Table 3.b)

Q: Our school's NCLB Report card apparently includes graduation rate, but does not break the rate down by gender - a breakout that is on the SLC APR. We can produce graduation rate data by gender, but will need to use a different formula for calculating the rate than what is used by the state in reporting on NCLB. What should we do?

A: Grantees should report the information the way it's reported in the report card without any gender breakout.
Q: Regarding Graduation Rate: are we to use cohort graduation rate numbers or 4th year graduation rate numbers?

A: Districts and schools should report their graduation rates as defined in their State Accountability Plans for No Child Left Behind. The same information reported for NCLB should be reported for the SLC APR.
Q: The instructions on the APR indicate that the grantee should calculate the graduation rate based on how it is defined in the state's plan under ESEA. We were unable to locate this definition. Therefore, it appears that each school may have calculated the graduation rate in a different way. How would you recommend that we calculate graduation rates for this report?

A: Graduation rates should be calculated in exactly the same way that the district calculates them for NCLB AYP purposes. Each state has established a definition of "graduation rate" that it uses when it determines whether a school or LEA has met the NCLB AYP goal. You should be able to copy the data already provided in your district's NCLB report card directly into the SLC APR table.

If you are not sure what your state's AYP standard for graduation rate is, our recommendation would be to ask your superintendent's office or your data person responsible for NCLB reporting. The number should be readily available.

Placement Rate (Table 3.d)

Q: Where do we find data requested in Table 3.d, Placement Rate, for: "Performance goal for Percent of Graduates who enrolled in post secondary education, apprenticeships or advanced training"?

A: This table asks grantees to enter information on the goals they may have set for the percentage of their graduates that will go on to post-secondary education or employment. We understand that not all grantees have set these performance measures. If your district has not set such goals, and if your original grant application does not include such goals, you should enter "N/A" into the cells in the table to indicate that they are not available. However, note that Cohort 4 grantees and beyond are required to include placement rate performance goals in their grant applications. Thus, for Cohort 4 grantees and later Cohorts, you should find the performance goals in your grant application.

District-Level Report

Q: Am I supposed to send in a copy of each report for all 5 schools involved in the grant as well as one that compiles all of the information together for the county?

A: There must be a separate school-level report for each of the schools participating in the grant. If 5 schools are participating, there will be 5 different school-level Excel spreadsheets to submit. Once all individual school reports are complete, the website allows you to aggregate them automatically to produce a single district-level report. All 6 reports (5 school-level and 1 district-level) should be submitted electronically through the website.

Multi-District Grantees

Q: If there is more than one district in our grant, do we need a separate project status narrative for each district, or just one for the whole grant? There is some information in our grant that applies to all districts.

A: Grantees with multiple districts in a single SLC grant should submit separate Project Status Narratives for each district within the grant. The information that pertains to the overarching grantee level can be included as a part of each district-level Project Status Narrative.

Project Status Narrative

Q: I have been reviewing with the SLC staff from our 2 high schools the information needed for the Project Status Narrative and we wanted to clarify what is expected in 2 b. Project Objectives--District Level. The table heading is "program objectives/milestones" but the example clearly refers to program implementation milestones. Our proposal included both student outcome "objectives" and "milestones for implementing proposed structures and strategies". Should our response to 2 b. include only these milestones or also our student outcome objectives. We are discussing these student outcome objectives in our separate evaluation report.

A: You should include all of the objectives that were included in your proposal, whether they were student outcome objectives or project implementation milestones. It's OK if the evaluation report and the project status narrative cover the same ground. The key difference between the two is that the evaluation report is intended to be from the distinct, objective perspective of the independent third party evaluator, while the Project Status Narrative is intended to be from the distinct perspective of the grantee project team.


About the Reports Required Excel Settings User's Guide Submission Process FAQs Get NCES ID# Help / Contact Us Home PROJECT DIRECTORS: Sign in	Frequently Asked Questions 2007 SLCP Grantee Webinar February 3, 2009 Year One APR guidance here. 2006 SLCP Grantee Webinars January 8, 2009 year 3 mid-year guidance and updates here. November 14, 2008 years 1 and 2 APR guidance and updates here. 2005 SLCP Grantee Webinar November 12, 2008 presentation and important updates here. Below you will find answers to some common questions related to the Annual Performance Report. Answers to the 2006 and 2005 Webinar questions here. Cover Sheet Q: Does Item 10, "Annual Certification of Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval" apply to SLC reports? A: No, it does not apply. Check "N/A" for Cover sheet item #10. Student Enrollment (Tables 1.a & 1.b) Q: The report asks for enrollment as of October. What year does this refer to? A: The APR is due on December 31, and covers the school year ending the previous Spring. The enrollment figure should be enrollment in October of that school year. Q: We don't have any students in SLCs in 9, 10, and 11 grade, but the workbook won't let me move from table 1.b to table 2 until I enter something in those grades. What do I do? A: If there are no students involved in an SLC at a particular grade level, you must enter either "0" or "N/A" before the workbook will allow you to move on to Table 2. All cells in Tables 1.a and 1.b must be filled in before you can move on to Table 2. Q: For the number of students in SLC's, should I include the number in our pilot program that ran before we got the SLC grant, or the number in our SLC's for this first SLC implementation school year? A: To report the number of students in SLCs, grantees should count students who were in SLCs supported by their federal grant during the reporting period. Q: On the enrollment worksheet, the racial/ethnic categories do not include "multiracial". We have a substantial number of students categorized as multiracial. How should they be reported? A: You have two options: If it is possible to disaggregate the multiracial category into its component parts, you should do that. A person should be recorded in multiple racial/ethnic categories - once for each category to which they apply. The spreadsheet will allow the sum of the ethnic/racial categories to exceed the total number of students enrolled, so it does not present a data problem to count one student in two or three different ethnic/racial categories. If it is not possible to disaggregate, you can leave the multiracial category out of the table and make a note in the "additional information" box at the bottom of the page. Because the totals in the table are calculated by adding male and female, leaving the multiracial students out of the ethnic rows will not affect the total. Multiracial students will be accounted for in the male/female breakout and in the total line. However, make sure you are consistent in using this method every year, to ensure year-to-year comparability. SLC Strategies and Structures (Table 2) Q: Counting AP Students: When documenting the number of students involved in AP classes, some students take more than one AP class. The total number of students sitting in our various AP classes might be 200 but when you discount the number of kids taking more than one AP class the actual number might be 170. Which number do we use? A: Grantees should report the number of students - not the total number of classes taken. In other words, a single student taking three AP classes should be counted as "1" and not as "3". Q: Table 2 is asking for district level data on strategies and structures being employed throughout the district. What do we do if the school district does not keep this type of data? A: Table 2 is asking for data from your first year of implementation. As a condition of the federal grant, grantees are asked to collect data on strategies and structures being used in their participating schools. The district level report of this information is simply an aggregation of the totals at the school level. This aggregation can be calculated automatically through the slcapr.ed.gov website. Statewide Assessment Data (Table 3.a) Q: Our state sets target goals for their AYP results for the 10th grade comprehensive exam and for the graduation rate. However, the state does not have a performance goal for placement rates that we were able to locate. Our understanding was that we should look at grant goals, then school or district goals, and finally at statewide AYP goals to find a percentage for the performance goal columns on the APR. Since we were unable to locate a performance goal for placement rates through any of these avenues, would you recommend that we leave the performance goal columns in the placement rate table blank? A: If there are no performance goals for placement rate, you should enter "N/A" into those cells and include a brief explanation in the comments box at the bottom of the page. Note that grantees in Cohort 4 and beyond are required to include performance goals for placement rate in their grant applications. So if you are in Cohort 4 or 5 you should find the goals in your grant application. Q: Table 3.a-1: Section E: What is the definition of "proficient and advanced level" for the statewide assessment? A: "Proficient and advanced level" refers to the level set by the state to determine whether NCLB AYP has been met for state assessments. Each state has a single test that it uses to determine whether NCLB AYP has been met, and each state has set a cut-off score that it considers to be "proficient." You should report the same assessment data for the SLC APR that are reported for NCLB AYP purposes. Graduation Rate (Table 3.b) Q: Our school's NCLB Report card apparently includes graduation rate, but does not break the rate down by gender - a breakout that is on the SLC APR. We can produce graduation rate data by gender, but will need to use a different formula for calculating the rate than what is used by the state in reporting on NCLB. What should we do? A: Grantees should report the information the way it's reported in the report card without any gender breakout. Q: Regarding Graduation Rate: are we to use cohort graduation rate numbers or 4th year graduation rate numbers? A: Districts and schools should report their graduation rates as defined in their State Accountability Plans for No Child Left Behind. The same information reported for NCLB should be reported for the SLC APR. Q: The instructions on the APR indicate that the grantee should calculate the graduation rate based on how it is defined in the state's plan under ESEA. We were unable to locate this definition. Therefore, it appears that each school may have calculated the graduation rate in a different way. How would you recommend that we calculate graduation rates for this report? A: Graduation rates should be calculated in exactly the same way that the district calculates them for NCLB AYP purposes. Each state has established a definition of "graduation rate" that it uses when it determines whether a school or LEA has met the NCLB AYP goal. You should be able to copy the data already provided in your district's NCLB report card directly into the SLC APR table. If you are not sure what your state's AYP standard for graduation rate is, our recommendation would be to ask your superintendent's office or your data person responsible for NCLB reporting. The number should be readily available. Placement Rate (Table 3.d) Q: Where do we find data requested in Table 3.d, Placement Rate, for: "Performance goal for Percent of Graduates who enrolled in post secondary education, apprenticeships or advanced training"? A: This table asks grantees to enter information on the goals they may have set for the percentage of their graduates that will go on to post-secondary education or employment. We understand that not all grantees have set these performance measures. If your district has not set such goals, and if your original grant application does not include such goals, you should enter "N/A" into the cells in the table to indicate that they are not available. However, note that Cohort 4 grantees and beyond are required to include placement rate performance goals in their grant applications. Thus, for Cohort 4 grantees and later Cohorts, you should find the performance goals in your grant application. District-Level Report Q: Am I supposed to send in a copy of each report for all 5 schools involved in the grant as well as one that compiles all of the information together for the county? A: There must be a separate school-level report for each of the schools participating in the grant. If 5 schools are participating, there will be 5 different school-level Excel spreadsheets to submit. Once all individual school reports are complete, the website allows you to aggregate them automatically to produce a single district-level report. All 6 reports (5 school-level and 1 district-level) should be submitted electronically through the website. Multi-District Grantees Q: If there is more than one district in our grant, do we need a separate project status narrative for each district, or just one for the whole grant? There is some information in our grant that applies to all districts. A: Grantees with multiple districts in a single SLC grant should submit separate Project Status Narratives for each district within the grant. The information that pertains to the overarching grantee level can be included as a part of each district-level Project Status Narrative. Project Status Narrative Q: I have been reviewing with the SLC staff from our 2 high schools the information needed for the Project Status Narrative and we wanted to clarify what is expected in 2 b. Project Objectives--District Level. The table heading is "program objectives/milestones" but the example clearly refers to program implementation milestones. Our proposal included both student outcome "objectives" and "milestones for implementing proposed structures and strategies". Should our response to 2 b. include only these milestones or also our student outcome objectives. We are discussing these student outcome objectives in our separate evaluation report. A: You should include all of the objectives that were included in your proposal, whether they were student outcome objectives or project implementation milestones. It's OK if the evaluation report and the project status narrative cover the same ground. The key difference between the two is that the evaluation report is intended to be from the distinct, objective perspective of the independent third party evaluator, while the Project Status Narrative is intended to be from the distinct perspective of the grantee project team.