Parent Information
October 2, 2010
Dear Parents/Guardians of Students in Fort Bragg Unified School District:
LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY IDENTIFIED FOR PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all states to create their own high academic standards for what a child should know and be able to do for all grades in English-language arts and mathematics. Every school must improve each year until all students meet these standards. This yearly improvement in school performance, which includes the academic standards and other components, is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
NCLB also requires the California Department of Education to annually review the performance of each local educational agency (LEA) that receives funds under NCLB, Title I, Part A. An LEA can be a school district or a county office of education. An LEA receiving Title I, Part A, funds is identified as a Program Improvement LEA if it does not meet AYP goals for two consecutive years within specific areas, focused primarily on academic achievement in English-language arts and mathematics.
NCLB requires the California Department of Education to inform parents/guardians of students about LEA performance. Fort Bragg Unified has been identified as a Program Improvement LEA. You can find specific achievement data used to make this decision at the California Department of Education (cde.gov) web site. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact Dr. Don Armstrong in the district office at 961-2850 and a hard copy of the report will be provided.
As a Program Improvement LEA, our district must:
- Revise our LEA Plan. We must consult with parents and school staff when revising this Plan, which explains how we will use Title I and other funds to improve student achievement.
- Reserve at least ten percent of our annual Title I allocation to provide professional development for teachers and administrators.
- Continue to provide assistance to schools identified for Program Improvement.
How can parents help their school and local educational agency improve?
Here are some suggestions to help you work with your school and LEA to support improvements:
- Learn more about the new NCLB requirements and become aware of strategies to improve student academic achievement. Additional information and resources are available at the following Web sites:
- The California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/sw/t1/titleparta.asp and http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/tidetermine.asp
- The U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov and http://www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml
- Talk with LEA staff about the LEA Plan and the program changes that must be made to help students meet the state standards in reading and mathematics.
- Visit your child’s school and volunteer.
- If you are a parent of a student who attends a Title I school that has been in Program Improvement for two years or more, ask about supplemental educational services that may be available for your child. Supplemental educational services are tutoring services provided outside of the regular school day for eligible students.
I encourage you to contact me at 961-2850 or by e-mail at darmstrong@fbusd.us for further information about any of these requirements and to find out how you can become involved in Program Improvement efforts.
Sincerely,
Donald F. Armstrong, Ed.D.
Superintendent
