Parental Notification Letter about School Choice in

Year 1 of Program Improvement

To the Parents/Guardians of students at Temecula Elementary School:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that our school has been identified as a Year 1 Program Improvement (PI) school under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.

What is PI?

NCLB requires the state and district to review annually the academic progress of federally funded Title I schools and to identify schools in need of improvement. These schools are identified as PI schools after two consecutive years of not making adequate yearly progress (AYP). California determines AYP for elementary schools by considering the following measures:

• The percentage of students scoring at the “proficient” or “advanced” level on the California Standards Tests for English-language arts and mathematics
• The percentage of students participating in those tests
• California’s own accountability measurement of progress, the Academic Performance Index (API)

Why is our school identified as PI?

The reason for this identification is that our school did not achieve AYP for two consecutive years (2010 and 2011).  We are very proud that our API of 821 was well above the federal target of 710, however our percents proficient or above in English-language arts and math fell short of the targets.

The school’s Accountability Progress Reports may be obtained from the school or on the California Department of Education (CDE) AYP Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/. 

Public school choice: What right does a parent have to request a transfer to a school that is not in PI?

All parents/guardians of students attending a PI school have the right to request a transfer of their children to a non-PI district school with district-paid transportation. Please understand that you do not have to leave the Temecula Elementary family and we don’t want you to do so, but you have the choice.  Should your child transfer to a non-Title I school they will no longer receive Title I services.

For parents who select this option, the district will provide transportation to the non-PI school for as long as Temecula Elementary continues to be identified as a PI school. If the school exits PI by making AYP for two consecutive years, the student can remain at the new school; however, transportation will no longer be district-paid. If the demand for choice exceeds funds available, priority will be given to lowest achieving, low-income students.

If you are interested in transferring your child or children to a non-PI school in the district for the 2011-12 school year, please select from the following schools. Your preference of a non-PI school will be taken into consideration.

To receive more information about a public school choice transfer, please attend a general meeting on Wednesday, September 14^th at 5:00 in the TES multi-purpose room .  Transfer forms will be available and I will be happy to set up individual meetings at that time to discuss your options.  If you cannot attend the general meeting or simply have questions, please contact me at 695-7130 for an appointment.

What will the school do to address English-language Arts and math proficiency?

We are working closely with the district staff to revise our school plan to include:

• Additional strategies, policies, and practices that utilize scientifically-based research and have the greatest likelihood of ensuring that all groups of students will meet the state’s achievement standards
• Additional high quality professional development for school staff that will lead to removing the school from PI status
• Additional Strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school

What are the district and state doing to support schools in Year 1 (School Improvement)?

Our district is working closely with the CDE to improve curriculum, instruction, and student performance. The CDE provides information, special help, and access to resources for PI schools. PI schools will receive district and/or state technical assistance in:

• Analyzing various data reports for revising the school plan
• Strengthening core academic instruction
• Collaborating with parents to increase student academic achievement

How can parents become involved?

Research shows that strong parental involvement leads to student success at school. Parents are encouraged to contact us for additional information regarding:

• Parental involvement policies
• School-parent compact
• Ongoing parent/community meetings
• Advisory committee/school site council meetings
• Parent volunteer opportunities

We will keep you updated and informed about opportunities to discuss plans for our school. If you have questions, need additional information on how you can get involved in our school improvement efforts, or would like to discuss the school’s instructional program and PI status, please feel free to call me and/or visit the school.

Sincerely,

Pilar Byham