Section 6316(c) of the reauthorization of the 2002 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), requires the State Education Department to identify for local agency improvement any LEA that has failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years.

Based on our review of your 2003-04 performance data, your LEA has been identified as a District In Corrective Action. Under separate cover, you have received a District Accountability Report from Martha P. Musser, Office of Information and Reporting Services, detailing the specific subject areas for which your LEA has been identified. Please plan to have a representative attend a meeting on Tuesday, January 25^th at 2:30 p.m. in the Regents Room at the State Education Department where we will provide information on the requirements for designated LEAs and the assistance that will be available to support your efforts.

        As an “LEA in Need of Improvement,” Year 3, the State Education Department is required to impose corrective actions. These actions may include, but are not limited to: Deferring programmatic funds, reducing administrative funds, or requiring the LEA to adopt a new curriculum. Information regarding the corrective action process will be provided to you at the meeting on January 25.

As an LEA in Corrective Action, NCLB requires specific interventions be put in place. You are required to update the LEA Improvement Plan you created last year to include any amendments, which will help your LEA to successfully improve performance in the designated subject(s). These requirements were delineated on page 29 of your 2004-2005 Local Consolidated Application Update; I am reiterating them as follows for your information:

1.                     Each LEA identified for improvement must develop or revise its Title I LEA Improvement Plan within three months of being identified. This plan is to be developed in consultation with parents, school staff and others. The LEA improvement Plan must:

A.                 Incorporate scientifically based research strategies that strengthen the core academic program in schools served by the LEA;

B.                 Include actions that have the greatest likelihood of improving the achievement of participating children in meeting the State’s student academic achievement standards;

C.                 Address the professional development needs of the instructional staff via a required set-aside of at least ten- percent of the LEA’s Title I, Part A, Subpart 2 allocation for each fiscal year that the LEA is identified for improvement. This set-aside amount includes the required ten percent set-aside for professional development for schools identified for school improvement. However, the required ten percent set-aside excludes funds reserved for professional development under Section 6319 of the NCLB to enable teachers who are not highly qualified to become highly qualified;

D.                 Include specific measurable achievement goals and targets for each group of students identified in the disaggregated data, consistent with adequate yearly progress;

E.                  Address the fundamental teaching and learning needs of the schools and the specific academic problems of low-achieving students, including a determination of why the prior LEA Plan failed to bring about increased student academic achievement;

F.                  Incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the summer and during an extension of the school year;

G.                 Describe the responsibilities of the Regional School Support Center (RSSC) and the LEA in the plan, including the technical assistance to be provided. Technical assistance by the RSSC may include:

1. Assistance in developing and implementing the LEA’s Plan for Improvement.

2. Technical assistance to enhance the LEA’s efforts with Title I Schools in Need of Improvement and Title I Corrective Action Schools.

3. Assistance based on scientifically based research to support:

·      Improved instructional strategies;

·      Parental involvement; and

·      Professional development.

H.        Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school.

LEAs that have been identified for improvement may not be providers of Supplemental Education Services.     

The State Education Department is required to arrange for the parents of each student enrolled in a school served by the LEA to be notified that the LEA has been classified as an LEA in need of improvement.  By March 1, 2005 you are required to issue a completed copy of the enclosed letter to the parents and guardians of each student enrolled in a school served by your LEA. To ensure that this information is accessible and helpful to the parents and guardians of each student in your LEA, translate this letter in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. The letter specifies the requirements of the State Education Department and those that must be undertaken by the LEA. It also lists website addresses where parents and guardians can access information regarding the NCLB requirement. 

Should you require any additional information or assistance please contact your Regional School Services Team liaison at (518) 474-5923 or Roberto Reyes at (518) 473-0295.  

Enclosure

cc:  James Butterworth

Sandra Norfleet

Roberto Reyes

Ira Schwartz

James Viola

District Superintendent