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October 6, 2003

TO:

Chief School Administrator
School Principal

 ALERT!
Important Information
Schools in Need of Improvement
NJ ASK4 -2003

FROM:

Isaac R. Bryant, Assistant Commissioner
Division of Student Services

SUBJECT:

School Improvement Status under the No Child Left Behind
Accountability Requirements – NJ ASK4

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to implement a single accountability system. The new accountability requirements under NCLB were built on the foundation laid under the former Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA).

On September 8, 2003, you were notified that the review of 2002 state assessment data for a school in your district did not meet the IASA accountability standards. The Preliminary Accountability Warning List – Status Report 2002 was sent with that notification.

The cycle I state assessment data for the 2003 New Jersey ASK 4 (NJ ASK4) have been analyzed. Attached is the No Child Left Behind Accountability Status Report: 2003. This report indicates that the school did not meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) as defined under NCLB. Therefore, this school is now identified as being in its first year of "improvement" status.

The document Understanding Accountability in New Jersey is attached. It provides the step-by-step process that is used to calculate AYP for all schools in New Jersey.

Following are the requirements for Title I schools that are in their first year of school improvement:

  • Schools must receive technical assistance from the district to address the academic achievement problem that caused the school to be identified for improvement. The district is required to provide technical assistance as the school develops and implements the improvement plan.

  • Each school identified for improvement must develop a two-year school improvement plan in consultation with parents, school staff, the district, and other experts. The plan must incorporate scientifically-based strategies, professional development, extended learning time, strategies to promote effective parental involvement and mentoring of new teachers. This improvement plan is part of the annual NCLB Consolidated Grant.

  • A 10 percent reserve of the school's 2004 Title I funds must be dedicated for professional development.

  • All students are offered intradistrict public school choice. A 20 percent reserve of the district's 2004 Title I funds must be dedicated for this purpose.

To meet these requirements, please complete the necessary components of the FY 2004 NCLB Consolidated Grant and submit to your NJDOE county office of education by October 30, 2003. A listing of the required forms is attached. The forms and directions are available at: http://www.nj.gov/njded/grants/entitlement/nclb/

You are encouraged to review your 2003 fourth grade assessment data to analyze this status report. The assessment data and the status report are considered public information and should be shared with your staff, board of education and constituents.

The NJDOE will be issuing information to the media and to the general public about the NCLB accountability requirements for fourth grade schools. At that time, a list of the fourth grade schools in "school improvement" status will be released.

The federal AYP requirements and strict implementation timelines of NCLB are intricate. Despite these complexities, please view this process as a challenge to enhance the superior educational opportunities in our state. Your continued commitment to assure that all students in New Jersey meet high standards is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or need further information about the NCLB single accountability requirements, please contact Linda Dold-Collins, director, Office of Title I Program Planning and Accountability at (609) 943-4283.

IRB/LDC/so

Attachments

c:

Members, State Board of Education
William Librera
Dwight Pfennig
Gloria Hancock
Senior Staff
Linda Dold-Collins
Jon Zlock
Diane Schonyers
County Superintendents