Minimum "N sizes" chosen by states for NCLB AYP reporting

Of all the states, Maryland has the smallest "N-size" by far.

N-SIZE: STATES
----------------------------------------------------------
05 : MD
10 : LA SD UT
11 : NH
16 : CO
20 : ME MN
25 : AK AR NM NV
30 : FL IA IN KS MI MO MT NE NJ NY OH OK PR WA WY
34 : ID
40 : AL AZ CT DE GA HI MA MS NC PA SC VT WI
42 : AZ OR
45 : IL RI TN
50 : CA TX VA WV

Missing: KY and ND


You can also find N-sizes for many states on this "accountability illusion" data map.

If I remember my statistics correctly, statisticians recommend--in most situations-- a sample size no smaller than 30 or 40 to have reasonable confidence that the sample is representative of a population.

Almost all of the states were in this ballpark.

My guess is that the folks from the Maryland Department of Education who chose the tiny N-size of five would flunk Statistics 101 and perhaps get forty lashes from their statistics teacher. Nancy Grasmick, are you listening?

To find the reasoning behind your state's N-size, go here, open the PDF for your state's "Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook" and scroll about two-thirds of the way through the document to "critical element" #5.5.