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We present a systematic analysis of the extended X-ray emission discovered around 35 FR II radio galaxies from the revised Third Cambridge catalog (3CR) Chandra Snapshot Survey with redshifts between 0.05 to 0.9. We aimed to (i) test for the presence of extended X-ray emission around FR II radio galaxies, (ii) investigate if the extended emission origin is due to Inverse Compton scattering of seed photons arising from the Cosmic Microwave Background (IC/CMB) or to thermal emission from an intracluster medium (ICM) and (iii) test the impact of this extended emission on hotspot detection. We investigated the nature of the extended X-ray emission by studying its morphology and compared our results with low-frequency radio observations (i.e., $\sim$150 MHz), in the TGSS and LOFAR archives, as well as with optical images from Pan-STARRS. In addition, we optimized a search for X-ray counterparts of hotspots in 3CR FR II radio galaxies. We found statistically significant extended emission ($>$3$\sigma$ confidence level) along the radio axis for $\sim$90%, and in the perpendicular direction for $\sim$60% of our sample. We confirmed the detection of 7 hotspots in the 0.5 - 3 keV. In the cases where the emission in the direction perpendicular to the radio axis is comparable to that along the radio axis, we suggest that the underlying radiative process is thermal emission from ICM. Otherwise, the dominant radiative process is likely non-thermal IC/CMB emission from lobes. We found that non-thermal IC/CMB is the dominant process in $\sim$70% of the sources in our sample, while thermal emission from the ICM dominates in $\sim$15% of them., Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, ApJS accepted, pre-proof version

The Miami-Dade County Public School District is a nationally recognized leader in the quality and diversity of educational opportunities. Magnet Programs, in particular, offer distinctive educational choices to students. Magnet programs attract students by offering unique opportunities for in-depth experiences and study in specific areas of interest. Each magnet program emphasizes a specialized theme. The objectives are to create educational interests, honor cultural and ethnic diversity, and promote student achievement. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief snapshot of the student body applying to and attending magnet programs in Miami-Dade County schools. Comparisons will be made between accepted and not-accepted applicants and between magnet and non-magnet attendants. Demographic variables considered include the race/ethnicity and the gender of students, as well as their participation in the free/reduced price lunch (FRL) program. Additionally, comparisons in academic performance will be considered. It is hoped that studies such as this can help guide future decision-making processes and program offerings.

In accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law of 2001, 100% of students were expected to become proficient on state assessments of reading and mathematics by the end of 2013-2014 academic year. Schools that consistently failed to meet the NCLB's Adequate Yearly Progress requirements were subject to penalties. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education invited each State educational agency (SEA) to request flexibility regarding specific requirements of the NCLB in exchange for "rigorous and comprehensive State-developed plans designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction." In order to receive flexibility from the NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress requirements, states had to develop and implement "high-quality teacher and leader evaluation and support systems that are based on multiple measures, including student growth as a significant factor and other measures of professional practice." At the time of the publication of this brief, most states received flexibility waivers. Currently, these states are at different stages in the process of implementing their teacher evaluation and support systems. Many of them use Value-Added Models (VAM) similar to those used in Florida, while others use the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) approach. In this brief the authors compare three methods of teacher evaluation: (1) the State system employing value-added models; (2) a district-level procedure using single-level regression; and (3) a common alternative approach utilizing student growth percentiles. All three methods start by constructing predictions of student test performance based on prior achievement data and student characteristics. At this basic building block level, all three approaches produce virtually identical results. As the methodologies diverge in techniques of aggregation, teacher-level and school-level summary indices begin to separate, but remain remarkably comparable.

The District conducts two kinds of dropout analyses every year in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The "cross-sectional" analysis of student dropouts examines dropout rates among students enrolled in various grades at one point in time. A "longitudinal" analysis, also conducted annually, tracks a group of students in the same grade or cohort over a period of several years. Each method of analysis addresses a different aspect of how many students are dropping out of school. This research brief provides information on the cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates and longitudinal graduation rates for 2013-2014 in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

When comparing overall FCAT performance of the District to the State, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools District comes up a little short in Reading and barely higher in Math. However, when the comparisons to the State are confined within the typical subgroup categories, the District meets or exceeds the State's performance in all subgroups. This reversal in trend between the whole and the parts seems to defy common sense. How is it possible that the district appears better than the State in all subcategories but worse overall? This research brief attempts to explain how the incongruity between overall and part comparisons can take place and underlines the importance of considering subgroup breakdowns when assessing district performance.

The time it takes for an English Language Learner (ELL) to reach reading proficiency in English depends on the grade level of entry into the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and on the student's initial English proficiency level. The summary table below presents the average years to English proficiency across different grade levels for students entering the ESOL program at beginning Level 1 versus the more advanced Levels 2-4. For the majority of students who enter as ELLs in 9th grade or higher, the time in high school is not sufficient to reach reading proficiency in English. For no student group defined by the initial grade and ESOL level combination is one year of learning adequate to reach levels of English proficiency sufficient for students' FCAT results to be interpreted as valid indicators of what students know and are able to do in the content areas of reading and mathematics. In fact, students who enter the ESOL program at the lowest level of English proficiency in grade 3 or later (the majority of students) do not reach levels of FCAT reading achievement comparable to those of non-ELL students even after four academic years of learning English. Thus, the inclusion of the FCAT results of ELL students into the state accountability system after only one year of English learning puts the schools and school districts with large numbers of ELL students at a distinct disadvantage. (Contains 1 table.)

When one compares summary FCAT data from the Miami-Dade district to other major districts in the State, it appears that student performance in Miami-Dade district is generally lower. However, overall summary data can be deceiving. Part of the reason is that the subgroups that make up each district have distinctly different success rates. One can get a clear picture of this by comparing the subgroup performances over the whole State. The subgroups reported on in this paper are those readily available from the NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress Report. The phenomenon investigated here is relevant for the subgroups identified, but also for other unmeasured or, as yet, unidentified subgroups. More importantly, the differential representation of subgroups with unique educational requirements can have wide-ranging effects throughout the district. Districts with high proportions of particularly challenging subpopulations are forced to redirect their limited educational assets to meet these demands. The assessment of effectiveness and distribution of resources across districts should reflect these differences.

The release of School Grades by the State of Florida in the late summer of 2010 created quite a stir. Over 500 elementary schools all over the state dropped at least one grade level. Among those schools that experienced drops, the Reading Gains and Mathematics Gains components seemed especially low. Some of the historically best performing schools saw unprecedented shortfalls in gain percents. Ad hoc analyses of the summary results by districts throughout the state uncovered radical shifts in points earned by schools. The results seemed that they just could not be true. Coordinated calls for review by Superintendents and research staff led the State Department of Education to call for two independent audits for further evaluation. The findings of the audits supported the initial results and concluded that the fluctuations in gains were within historical ranges. No violations of protocol were uncovered and the School Grades were deemed correct. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the FCAT score results that prompted concern, clarify in nontechnical terms the test construction and equating justifications, and propose a perspective for confronting the compromises to accountability in the future.

Due to budgetary concerns, the FDOE restructured the Writing portion of the FCAT assessment program for 2010. Among the changes was a difference in how the writing essays were scored. In the past, two people independently judged each essay and each assigned a score from 1 to 6. In the event of a disagreement between judges, the average of the scores was assigned. Thus, "half-value" final scores like 2.5 and 3.5 were possible results. When it came to grading schools, the convention was to have the percent of students scoring 3.5 or higher constitute the writing component of the overall point total. However, in 2010 only a single judge would score each essay. Scores between integer values (2.5, 3.5, etc.) would no longer be possible. Since a score of 3.5 could not occur, it would not be possible to summarize a school's performance in an equivalent manner comparable to the "percent scoring 3.5 or higher" standard of the past. To keep the school summary scores as alike in meaning as possible, some accommodation to the school grading methodology would have to be introduced. Since a numerical school summary defined by the "percent scoring 3.5 or higher" would not be strictly possible, the initial solution considered was to simply substitute the average of the "percent scoring 4 or higher" and the "percent scoring 3 or higher." On the surface, this seems to make sense; after all, the average of 3 and 4 is 3.5. However, while this proposal superficially seems straightforward and fair, there is a subtle source of systematic bias hidden in that kind of computation. The purpose of this paper is to explain the nature of the calculation error and suggest an alternative procedure that would provide a more accurate estimate consistent with the "3.5 or higher" traditional approach.

The 2010-11 projected enrollment offered by Research Services represents a small increase in student enrollment. The District's student enrollment is projected to be 341,324 in 2010-11, an increase of 0.3 percent (1,077 students) from 2009-10. A slight increase in the District's 2009-10 student enrollment reversed a seven year decline. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)

Since the inception of the FCAT, the scaled scores students receive have been summarized by categorizing them into levels of performance. For every single test (in one subject area, at one grade level, for one year) the State of Florida has carefully determined cutoff scores that classify performance into 5 different levels of proficiency. It seems quite natural to refer to the percentage of students beyond a particular cutoff, as when one says a certain percentage of students scored at Level 3 or above. However, this seemingly straightforward "percent-above-cutoff" type of summary statistic when used to describe improvement in performance has subtle built-in difficulties that can lead to grossly inaccurate inferences. There are alternative ways of summarizing FCAT performance that are just as simple and easy to interpret as percent-above-cutoff type descriptions but do not carry with them the inherent dangers. It is the purpose of this paper to show exactly when and how the commonly used FCAT reports can go wrong and suggest alternative statistics that keep one on the right track.

According to Florida Law, students must pass the Grade 10 FCAT, among other academic requirements, in order to receive a standard high school diploma. Specifically, students must achieve a "passing" score of 300 or above on both the FCAT SSS Reading and the FCAT SSS Mathematics tests. Technically, students can retake the FCAT as many times as they want, until they pass it, and can even enroll for a "free" 13th year of public education should they need additional instruction to successfully pass the FCAT. At the time of this study, students had up to seven standard opportunities to pass the Grade 10 FCAT prior to graduation. Students who did not pass the FCAT in the spring of their sophomore year could retest in the fall, spring, and summer of their junior and senior years. The purpose of this study is to report the results of tracking the FCAT retake occurrences and outcomes for one grade-level cohort group as they advance through their M-DCPS careers. Although summaries of the test results for any retake occasion across all current test-takers have been available on a yearly basis, this is the first cumulative tracking for FCAT retake performance.

References to FCAT results dominate the appraisal of students, schools, and districts. Yet, with all these reports of scores and grades it is not easy to spot extraordinary performance. It is the purpose of this paper to introduce Performance Flags--a new look to FCAT statistics that can help Miami-Dade district in the simple and speedy detection of exceptional achievement at a school, grade, or classroom level. These Performance Flags, an outgrowth of Local Norms, are color-coded to readily differentiate the extraordinary from the ordinary. They are founded on comparisons within the school district and display both absolute and relative standing among students, classrooms, and schools. They can be applied at various levels, compared easily to discover trends, and can hopefully contribute substantively to program evaluation, policy making and improvement planning.

This Research Brief presents a method for predicting 10th grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) success from 6th grade FCAT performance. A simple equation provides the most probable single score prediction, and give-or-take error margins define high and low probability zones for expected 10th grade scores. In addition, a double-entry table provides estimates of the probability of success on both the Reading and Mathematics tests in 10th grade. The procedures are presented in an extended analogy to weather predictions.

This Research Brief addresses an outcome measure that is of paramount importance to senior high schools--graduation rate. Nationwide a student drops out of school approximately every nine seconds. The significance of this issue locally is exemplified by a recent American Civil Liberties Union filing of a class action law suit against the Palm Beach County Public Schools claiming the district's low graduation rate violated the Florida Constitution. Data will be presented indicating that four-year graduation rates for M-DCPS students in grades 9-12 have increased for all three of the major racial/ethnic groups for the past three cohorts. The seven most frequently used methods to calculate graduation rate are also presented. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

Advanced Placement courses are offered at M-DCPS for students to acquire college credit or advanced college academic standing. A system has been developed in the past by the College Board to use the PSAT for 10th grade students to estimate their potential for AP Examination success. The same test has recently been applied in this district to 9th graders for the same purpose. In this paper we present an alternative, more reliable, prediction system using Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores that is appropriate for the prediction of AP Examination success for both 9th and 10 graders. The prediction system should also prove useful for academic counseling and placement purposes. AP Potential Expectancy Tables are attached. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study duplicated the procedures used by Greene and Winters (2006) on data from the Miami-Dade school system with the advantage of an additional two year's worth of information. The results indicated that the effects of the retention policy are far from clear and arguably negative. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the apparent gains of the retained students may have been short-lived if not completely illusory. The lack of precise measurement and a precisely appropriate comparison group prevent an indisputable interpretation. The superficially obvious benefit of retention to some students and the equally obvious detriment of retention to others will likely keep large-scale test-based promotion policies a matter of heated debate subject to political fashion for the foreseeable future.

The teacher's task of assigning letter grades to students and the public's interpretation of them can be perplexing. Does the student's grade represent the level of achievement, the gain in achievement, or some combination of the two? Is the student's effort included in the grade, or are high achievers given good marks regardless of effort? Are pupils marked according to their own potential learning ability or in relation to their classmates' achievement? There are no clear answers to these questions. Despite attempts at precise directives, practices tend to vary by school, teacher, and context. Scores on an FCAT standardized test seem to be a different matter. Such tests are designed to be criterion-referenced, intending to determine whether a student has mastered the material taught in a specific grade or course. The apparent objectivity of the test and its connection to a specific curriculum gives the impression of a pure measure of student achievement. But tests, no matter how carefully designed, are inevitably imperfect and measure only a sample of student behavior over a very short period of time. What exactly do classroom grades represent in Miami-Dade schools and what is their relationship to FCAT scores? How is it that some students can get very high classroom grades and still score at below-proficiency levels on the FCAT? What should educators expect the relationship to be between classroom grades and FCAT scores? These and other issues regarding grades and test scores are explored in this paper.

Research Services calculates enrollment projections on an annual basis. These projections are presented each year at the district's Pupil Population Estimating Conference. For this year's projections, two years of trend data (2006-07 and 2007-08) were used to project student enrollment for 2008-09. Projections are provided by individual grade level and for the district's total Pre-K through grade 12 enrollment. The 2008-09 projected enrollment offered by Research Services continues the decline in student enrollment evident in the district over the past six school years. The district's student enrollment is projected to be 336,367, a decline of 1.8 percent (6,083 students) from 2007-08 to 2008-09. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.) [For the 2007-08 edition of this report, see ED538078.]

Research Services calculates enrollment projections on an annual basis. These projections are presented each year at the district's Pupil Population Estimating Conference. For this year's projections, two years of trend data (2005-06 and 2006-07) were used to project student enrollment for 2007-08. Projections are provided by individual grade level and for the district's total Pre-K through grade 12 enrollment. The 2007-08 projected enrollment offered by Research Services continues the decline in student enrollment evident in the district over the past five school years. The district's student enrollment is projected to be 340,149, a decline by 2.2 percent (7,823 students) from 2006-07 to 2007-08. (Contains 3 tables.)

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is the primary measure of student achievement applied to the grading of the Florida public schools. School grades utilize a point system in which schools are awarded one point for every percent of students: (1) scoring in achievement levels 3-5 in Reading; (2) demonstrating learning gains in Reading; (3) in the lowest 25% of Reading making gains; (4) scoring in achievement levels 3-5 in Mathematics; (5) demonstrating learning gains in Mathematics; and (6) scoring 3.5 or above in Writing. Each school gets points toward their school grade in direct proportion to the number of students meeting the standards in six different component areas. This paper depicts the changes in FCAT points earned toward school grades in both the District and the State over the last three years. In all component (except Writing, where standards were raised in 2005) the District has demonstrated greater gains than the State and, in some components, exceeded the State's performance. It is important to exercise caution in attributing changes in student achievement to specific causes. There are a great many of potential influences on achievement and, in many cases, trends in the district seem to be paralleled by similar trends across the state. However, the improvements observed over the past three years in achievement scores and school grades are hard to interpret as anything but substantial improvement for the district.

This research describes the evaluation of a science curriculum newsletter called BioRAP which serves as a vehicle to teach current health science content. The research objectives were to estimate the relationships of socioeconomic status, ethnic group, gender, grade, student ability, and classroom use characteristics with student knowledge and self-efficacy outcomes after use of the newsletter. Topics covered in the specific newsletters studied include cancer, sun and skin, AIDS, and product safety. Results indicate that the newsletter continues to demonstrate positive achievement and student satisfaction outcomes with greatly expanded distribution and use by a diverse sample of youngsters, and that students clearly learn meaningful science content from BioRAP. The perspective and theoretical framework of BioRAP is also outlined. (DDR)

The American public continues to be perplexed by the substandard reading, math, and science skills of students. Science information alone is growing at a rate that will make it very difficult for many, especially students with feeble science knowledge and skills, to become scientifically literate. This research describes the development, distribution, and evaluation of a biomedical oriented newsletter named BioRap for sixth to eighth grade students. BioRap is designed in a weekly reader type format and provides current, relevant information to children in a more cost-effective manner. Expert faculty at major universities, research scientists at drug companies and hospitals, veterinarians, physicians, etc. serve as content resources for BioRap. Based upon data gathered from teachers who have used BioRap, it was concluded that BioRap has a strong potential for use in the classroom. Its short length allows flexibility in when and how teachers can introduce BioRap into the curriculum. It is believed that BioRap shows great promise as a vehicle to improve the science literacy of adolescents. (ZWH)

There are a number of detailed requirements for gifted screening, referral and eligibility specified under State Board Rules and School Board Rules. In all of these areas, explicit mention is made of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores as being integral components. The FCAT scores used for these purposes prior to 2008 were percentiles as reported in the Norm Referenced Test (NRT) result reports. The Florida DOE discontinued administration of the NRT starting in 2008. With NRT scores no longer available, screening, referral, and eligibility specifications were modified and provisions made for using FCAT Sunshine State Standards (SSS) data as a substitute measurement of academic achievement. With the advent of FCAT 2.0 specifications, the scoring scales have changed and the references to cutoff scores need to be adjusted. In anticipation of these needs, members of the Division of Advanced Academic Programs and Assessment, Research and Data Analysis collaborated on the suggestion proposed in this Research Note. This investigation focuses on the Gifted Eligibility Determination Form for Use with Underrepresented Students in Kindergarten through Twelfth Grades (Plan B Matrix) currently being utilized by the Division of Advanced Academic Programs. In this Matrix, students are awarded from 0 to 4 points in specified categories in each of the following areas: Gifted Characteristic Checklist, Achievement Percentile Score, Intelligence Test Quotient, and Creativity Measure Score. The Achievement Percentile Score applied to the matrix are cutoff points for the FCAT SSS for either the Reading or the Mathematics Test. The cutoff scores were determined in an effort to provide an equi-percentile distribution of the points which had been awarded using the earlier FCAT NRT system. With the transition to FCAT 2.0 standards, different score scales are used and the score cutoffs for determining achievement points need to be recalculated. The FCAT 2.0 uses a vertically-aligned scale that has a different range and distribution for each grade level.

For the past few years the Florida School Code has set the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) performance requirements for promotion of 3rd graders and graduation for 10 graders. Grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the FCAT SSS Reading must be retained unless exempted for special circumstances. Grade 10 students must earn a passing score of 300 or higher in reading and mathematics to qualify for a standard diploma. Many of our students are at risk of not meeting these requirements and having their academic progress interrupted. Clearly, any help in predicting which students may be in jeopardy of not passing the FCAT would help in providing targeted academic remediation to the students most in need. The service of providing predictions has been very well received by school sites and has proved useful in identifying and prioritizing those students needing additional attention. This research brief is a continuation of that annual service. [For the 2006-07 edition of this report, see ED538075.]

Because 3rd Grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores have a direct impact on promotion, the results for that grade level are released early by the State. When the FCAT results for 3rd Grade were released in May 2007, many people were troubled. Over 80% of the elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District showed a decrease in the percentage of students scoring in Levels 3 and above in Reading. Similar trends produced an outcry across the state. After an 8 percentage point jump in the previous year, there was a statewide drop of 6 percentage points in 2007. These results were more than surprising and cast doubt on the soundness of the scoring process. After a careful review, the Education Commissioner announced that there did appear to be a problem in the scoring of the test and a rescaling of the 3rd Grade FCAT reading exam would be forthcoming. This admission by the State, while honorable and praiseworthy, opened the door for many to question other aspects of the FCAT test, sometimes without just cause. While it is clearly unfair to discount the overall precision and usefulness of the FCAT, some form of careful review of scores is nonetheless proper. The search for the same kind of irregular trends in the data that brought this type of problem to the surface is always warranted and should be welcomed. Any abnormalities revealed in the examination of the scores need to be made public so that the need for in-depth analysis can be considered. It is in that spirit that this paper presents some unusual patterns in the data for FCAT Reading at the middle school level.

For the past few years the Florida School Code has set the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) performance requirements for promotion of 3rd graders and graduation for 10th graders. Grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the FCAT SSS Reading must be retained unless exempted for special circumstances. Grade 10 students must earn a passing score of 300 or higher in reading and mathematics to qualify for a standard diploma. Many of our students are at risk of not meeting these requirements and having their academic progress interrupted. Clearly, any help in predicting which students may be in jeopardy of not passing the FCAT would help in providing targeted academic remediation to the students most in need. The service of providing predictions has been very well received by schools sites and has proved useful in identifying and prioritizing those students needing additional attention. This research brief is a continuation of that annual service.

The purpose of this paper is to promote local norms as a new way of reporting Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results for Miami-Dade County district. The norms would: (1) show a student's relative standing in the district, and (2) show the student's growth compared to similar students. This paper presents questions about local norms, as well as answers to these questions. Questions include: (1) What are some of the special features of local norms?; (2) How useful are local norms in representing student performance?; (3) What types of measures do local norms provide?; (4) How is the status norm computed?; (5) What is the interpretation of the status norm?; (6) How is this status norm different from the gain norm?; (7) What is the interpretation of the gain norm?; (8) Isn't it possible for a student to have a high status norm and a low gain norm?; (9) Isn't it statistically improper to average percentiles?; (10) Won't the norms change each year?; (11) How will the status and gain norms be made available?; (12) What is the expected value for the average of status norms or gain norms for any group of students?; and (13) If the average gain norm for students taught by a particular teacher was unusually high, would that indicate a very effective teacher?

Beginning in the 2002-03 school year, the revised Florida School Code required 3rd grade students to demonstrate reading proficiency by scoring at level 2 or higher on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). If not, the student must be retained, unless exempted from mandatory retention for special circumstances referred to as "good cause." These new requirements have had considerable impact on the retention rates in M-DCPS. This paper presents a brief look at the 3rd grade retention rates for 2003-04, comparing previous years' rates and subgroups' rates disaggregated by ethnicity, free/reduced lunch status, and English proficiency levels.

Recent revisions of the Florida School Code by the Florida Legislature include a major component focusing on proficiency in reading. In particular, grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) SSS Reading Test must be retained, unless exempted for special circumstances. This new requirement has resulted in the retention of thousands of 3rd graders in this district over the last two years. The impact on the lives of the students and their families is inestimable. Additionally, the restructuring of grade level membership has put considerable strain on the schools and the system as a whole. Clearly, any help in predicting which students may be in jeopardy of not "passing" the FCAT Reading test in 3rd grade would be a welcome contribution to providing targeted academic remediation to the students most in need. This study addresses an approach to the early identification of students who may be at risk of scoring at level 1 on their 3rd grade FCAT Reading Test.