No Child Left Behind--- Workshop for Parent Advocates

1. No Child Left Behind--- Workshop for Parent Advocates

2. Purpose: to bring parent support specialists and advocates for children with mental health needs together to learn how to make NCLB work for Kansas parents.

3. NCLB requires By 2014, 100 percent of students must be proficient in reading and math. Teachers and paraprofessionals must meet new standards of qualifications. 2. Schools must focus on what works and use rigorous measurement instruments to measure what works. 3. Schools must work with parents.

4. • Continuous and substantial academic improvement for all children and for specific groups: Racial, ethnic groups Economically disadvantaged students Students with disabilities (IDEA) Students with limited English proficiency (LEP). NCLB requires

5. 100 percent of students in all subgroups must meet the standards for adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward proficiency by 2014.

6. What is proficient? Level 1 is below basic level work Level 2 is a basic level of achievement Level 3 is a proficient level of work Level 4 is an advanced level of work Level 5 is a superior level of achievement Students who score at Level 3 have “solid grade level knowledge and skills.”

7. Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic 15% 45% 30% 10% AYP requirements

8. A school (or LEA) makes AYP if: each group of students for which disaggregated data are reported meets or exceeds the annual measurable objectives; each group meets or exceeds the ‘other academic indicator;’ at least 95% participation for each disaggregated group applies to both math and reading/language arts.

9. Adequate Yearly Progress Measures objectives based on Kansas essential core content standards and requires statistically valid and reliable performance measures. Monitors graduation and drop out rates for high schools and safety (as measured by violent acts towards students and teachers)

10. Consequences for failing to meet AYP: • Alert - no consequence • Level 1 School must offer parents “choice” and develop school improvement plan. • Level 2 - school must offer parents choice for child to attend other school. • Level 3 - school must continue to offer choice and supplemental services--district must ensure students have at least one private provider to choose from. • Level 4 - school must continue to offer choice and supplemental services and implement a corrective action plan such as replacing staff and curriculum. • Level 5 - School must continue to offer choice and supplemental services and implement an alternative governance plan such as converting to a charter school, hire a private management firm or have the state take over.

11. NCLB sanctions apply to Title 1 schools only. • But all schools fall under the new State Accountability plan.

12. Many of Kansas’ best schools will be labeled as “needs improvement” under NCLB regardless of whether it’s a Title I school or not. The list must be published. Schools must report status to parents.

13. High schools must have graduation rates of at least 80 percent or show progress toward 80 percent. If not, they’re on the needs improvement list. Attendance in elementary/middle schools must be 90 percent, or making progress toward 90 percent. If not, they’re on the needs improvement list. Parents: Make sure your kids don’t miss school!

14. An example: The Grasshopper Elementary School has 439 students: • • 200 are low income (qualify for free- and • reduced-priced lunch. • 45 are not proficient in English. • 50 are Hispanic • 7 are African American (not enough for a • subgroup) • 374 are Caucasian

15. Grasshopper Elementary AYP requirement In 2003, the Grasshopper School’s percentage of 8th graders reaching math proficiency is required to be at 66.2 percent. By 2013-14, 100 percent of Grasshopper students must be proficient in math.

16. Grasshopper elementary 8th grade math test In 2003, the Grasshopper Elementary Elementary School tested 8th graders for math. 72% of students, on average, were proficient, topping the 66.2% goal for that year.

17. Good news? Not so fast! An increase in the percent of total students meeting proficiency is only part of the test. All subgroups must meet the proficiency percentage as well. (The 100 percent law!) So how did Grasshopper Elementary’s low-income students do?

18. Grasshopper Elementary low-income subgroup 27 low-income 8th graders taking the math test. 55% were proficient, below the 66.2% goal .

19. Because low-income students did not meet proficiency… The Grasshopper Elementary School is on the “needs improvement” list.

20. Test day 2004 Grasshopper Elementary low-income students in 8th grade improve from 55% proficiency in math to 59% proficiency – still below the 66.2 percent goal. The school remains on the state’s needs improvement list AND sanctions begin.

21. Grasshopper Elementary hit by sanctions Grasshopper Elementary must offer parents a choice to send their children to another school in the district. If the district doesn’t have another elementary school, the district is encouraged to make an agreement allowing kids to go a school making AYP in another district. In larger districts, students must be allowed to transfer to other schools in the district making AYP.

22. Schools that are making AYP must take transferring students (from their district) regardless of class size issues.

23. Then what? Grasshopper Elementary Elementary low-income 8th graders improve from 59 percent proficient in math to 66.6 percent in 2005. They hit the goal for 2004! But it’s 2005, and the new goal is 69.6 percent. The proficiency rate grew, but not enough!

24. More sanctions Grasshopper Elementary Elementary must continue to offer public school choice AND The school must pay for parents who request supplemental instructional services, such as a private tutor or tutoring company. The district must use up to 20 percent of its Title I funds for supplemental services and transportation.

25. The impact: 4-5 years Ultimately, Grasshopper Elementary must replace staff, change curriculum (even if it’s working for most students), convert to a charter school, hire a private management firm or allow a state takeover.

26. What if students miss the testing day? The district can have make-up test dates. 95 percent of students in every subgroup must take the test. If less than 95 percent of students in every subgroup don’t take the test, the school automatically does not make AYP. Sanctions may begin.

27. So if we have 23 Hispanic elementary students and 3 do not take the test, does our school automatically go on the “needs improvement” list? Yes. Sanctions may begin. But what if the 20 Hispanic students who took the test met proficiency? It does not matter. Sanctions may begin.

28. So if every subgroup in our school is considered proficient except for one – low-income elementary students, for example – is our school not making AYP and therefore on the “needs improvement” list? Yes. Sanctions may begin.

29. Are all special education and disadvantaged students expected to make AYP? Yes. The district may develop an alternative test. If so, it can only exempt a number of special education students equal to 1 % of the district’s total student population. The rest are expected to meet the same proficiency standards as non-special education students.

30. My district has one K-12 building? What “choice” can the district offer parents? Districts are encouraged to develop an agreement with a neighboring district to take transferring students. The school taking transferring students must NOT be failing to make AYP. The district must pay the transportation costs – up to 5 percent of its Title I funds – for students opting to transfer to another school and/or district.

31. My school is making AYP. Other students from a Title I school in our district on the “needs improvement” list want to transfer here, but our building is full. Do we have to take in these students? Yes.

33. Is it reasonable to expect 100 percent of students in every subgroup to be proficient? The law is based on the belief that every student in America – regardless of race, income, disability or language spoken at home – can and will be proficient by 2014.

34. The results of testing are reported with three goals in mind: • One is for parents to have detailed information about their schools to make informed parental decisions • Second is to provide schools with feedback on instruction in order to improve student achievement. • Third is to promote whole family literacy and parent-school compacts for learning.

35. Reports will be generated based on scores from the Standards-Based test. • Reports will reflect proficiency levels of each school, district, and state in a state progress report. • Parents must receive the scores for their children.

36. Which students are being left behind? Is your child behind? What are your school goals? What are your child’s goals? How will you regularly use individual data and school data to improve your child’s education? How will you support the school’s improvement and your child’s academic progress? Guide for Planning

37. “Accountability is an exercise in hope-- When we raise academic standards, children raise their academic sights. When children are regularly tested, teachers know where and how to improve. When scores are known to parents, parents are empowered to push for change. When accountability for our schools is real, the results for our children are real.”