Title I Schools in Need of Improvement
Parental Notification Requirements & Sample Letter
According to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools that do not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years in the same content area (language arts literacy/mathematics) are designated as schools in need of improvement. Districts must notify parents of students in these schools, no less than 14 days prior to the start of the school year, of the school’s improvement status and offer school choice and/or supplemental educational services (SES) options to eligible students. School choice must be available to students prior to the beginning of the school year. Detailed notification of SES availability and enrollment instructions should be done at the beginning of the school year with SES available shortly thereafter.
The following list provides more information about the notification requirements.
- Parental notification letters explaining a school’s improvement status must be provided to the parents of each student enrolled in the school. To ensure that parents receive the letters, a district must communicate directly using mail or e-mail and through a broader means of dissemination such as the Internet, the media, and public agencies serving the student population and their families.
- Letters must be in a language and format that parents can understand. The letters must indicate the school’s improvement status, such as improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. They must also include the following information:
(1) How the school compares academically to other schools in the district and the state
(2) Why the school has been identified
(3) What the school is doing to address the achievement problem
(4) What the district and state are doing to help the school to address the achievement problem
(5) How parents can be involved in addressing the achievement problem
(6) Parents’ options to transfer their child to another school, and, if applicable, obtain SES.
- Notification letters must be provided to parents of students attending all schools in need of improvement in the district.
- Students may not be transferred to another district school that is in need of improvement or designated as “persistently dangerous.”
- Students may not be transferred from a high-performing school using Title I funds.
- When school choice is offered, all students from the school are eligible for transfer. Districts must identify the schools available to receive transferees and provide information about each receiving school’s academic record. The letter may also include the following information about the receiving school(s): a description of special academic programs, facility description and features, extended-day programs, professional qualifications of teachers in the core academic subjects, and parent involvement opportunities.
- When SES is offered, only low-income students in identified schools are eligible. Districts must give parents a list of state-approved SES providers and communicate to parents that they may select any provider on the approved list. Each provider that serves the district’s geographic location, plus on-line providers, must be identified for the parents. The notice must describe the services, qualifications, and evidence of effectiveness for each provider as well as the procedures and timeline parents must follow in selecting a provider. The Web link for the entire list should also be provided.
- The district must reserve 20 percent of its Title I allocation to provide transportation to students requesting the school choice option and/or fund SES for eligible students up to the per-pupil amount listed on the district’s Title I allocation notice or the actual cost of services, whichever is less.
» Middle (Grades 6-8) and High Schools
» Elementary with Grade Span 3-5 Sample Transitional Letter
» Receiving School Information Sheet Template
» Parent SES Selection Template
